The Strange One
by theholyeggplant
Summary: Trapped in a new world with a new body he didn't ask for, Logan J. Ruwell is forced into a life he never figured he'd end up in. But a trainer and her team of Pokemon see something in him he's oblivious too, and her Gardevoir takes a liking to him altogether. Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, OC's are mine. Warning: Grammar issues are present, but nothing too extreme. ENJOY THE STORY!
1. Dark Beginnings

In the small rural town of Scottsville New York, there was next to nothing of interest ever going on. It was common for the local townsfolk to work at a job somewhere out of town, but many also made there living via the hobbies they loved. The town had three separate school buildings, one for grades pre-k up to third grade, another for fourth through sixth, and the final one being grades 7 and up. The schools were not the most highly funded, but they made do with what they had rather well.

Our story begins with a single young man. Logan J. Ruwell lived in this small, cozy town ever since he was but an infant. He was a very peculiar individual in everyone's eyes. On the outside he didn't look out of the ordinary. He wore a zip up sweater with a gray t-shirt underneath, which was matched by a pair of black sweatpants with a red stripe going down the sides. This was all topped off with white sneakers that had a little bit of wear and tear. He also had a shaved head with a stubble goatee that connected to his shaved sideburns.

However on the inside it was a completely different story, for behind that rather ordinary looking frame was a person who was far from normal. He could pass as normal if one only glanced at him, but if someone so much as said hello, then things would get a little complicated. Aspergers always did stuff like that to his mind, always making it harder to communicate with people. It made him somewhat of a loner. He had friends, and he was great with them once they've proven themselves worthy of his trust, but to earn that was kind of difficult. He always wanted to be completely sure if they truth tellers, were loyal and thus would never ditch him, and in general just showed that they truly cared. If all these things were met, then he was your best friend. If not... well he never really talked about those people very much.

He didn't have that many skills besides a few niche talents and hyper focused tendencies here and there. He could sing, loved historical topics (Mainly WW1 and WW2), was somewhat of a funny guy... and had a MASSIVE love for video games. You could say his mind was nothing but a controller linked to the world, and he was the avatar. They just seemed to occupied his mind that much.

He lived out his childhood on a highly dysfunctional family, and was scarred by his childhood memories from time to time. But he lived on his own now, and so all those memories would be nothing more than that, memories... well, that and the frequent but manageable nightmares he would sometimes deal with. But in the end he always wanted to just live out a happy peaceful life, and recently moving out of his toxic household allowed him to start fresh. He didn't have much cash on hand, since he only worked a minimum wage job at some fast food joint, but it made ends meet when he saved up little by little.

He was currently on his way to a friends house, his friend Riley to be precise. They both had been best friends, if not the only "brother from another mother" that Logan really had. They both had many fond memories of staying up all night playing online shooters like Halo or Call of Duty. But Pokemon was the game that put them in friendly competitions, whether it was who could get the first shiny, or beat the newest games first. It was all a challenge to see who was the superior player... and the results were evenly matched. But it wasn't just games for them, as they could go on for hours just talking, laughing out loud, or just straight up talking about the most random things.

Logan was walking down a street over a paved bridge in the middle of town. It was 9:00 already, so the streets were pretty much deserted by now. He had a large backpack that carried everything he needed to make the LAN party at Rileys house more fun. The contents were jammed inside as he had packed an Xbox, a 3DS, a laptop, four controllers, rechargeable batteries, an extra pair of clothes and in case of emergencies, two magazines for a pistol he kept.

It was concealed in the side of his pants, underneath his sweater. He had taken some basic shooting courses at the local Police Station as they sometimes offered them to civilians for free. He thought it was the most stupid idea imaginable. Sure, lets just train civilians without first seeing if they have criminal intentions, that always works out well… But he couldn't really complain since he ended up taking them a few times over, just so that if he ended up getting in a dangerous altercation, he could at least defend himself more effectively. The pistol he had wasn't bought either. It was an original M1911 that belonged to his great grandfather, who brought it back with him from his service in WWII. Logan had found the old veteran had carved some writing on the grip, and that it had said "Ardennes" along with some carved in tally marks made with a knife. He never had to use it yet, but he didn't take any chances.

He turned right on the street sidewalk into another long stretch of houses and paved roads. He knew where his friend was, but had decided to take a scenic path, as he knew some punks from high school would hang out around his main route. He continued to make his way, thinking on how he was going to get there in time. It started at 10:00 o'clock tonight, and he was just barely going to make it on time if he walked at this pace.

"Shit, I gonna speed up." Logan thought to himself as he began to speed walk. As he continued to make haste, he then realized that something was off when he heard a door slam. Not like a door from a home, but with a distinctive *Curchunk* sound, like from a vehicle… And it didn't sound that far from his current position. It as then that he heard his phone ring, picking up to see that it was Riley calling. Logan answered the call to see what Riley wanted, even though it was probably just him asking why he was late.

Logan answered to have Riley begin the talks instead. _"Yo dude, where the heck are you?! There's like, 4 other people here and we're in need of another xbox. You think you could just speed up a bit?!_" Logan was annoyed with his friends inherently bad impatience, and answered back while showing it. "Well you know I'm not driving yet! Just tell them I'll be there in another 15 minutes okay?" He could here Riley slap in forehead in disappointment before complaining again. _"Dude you said that in your text before you left, They've been waiting for the past 30 minutes! Hurry your ass up bro, we're losing patience!" _Logan suddenly smiled as he fired an insult toward his friend over the phone. "You know your starting to remind me of those sassy women, who text their boyfriends non-stop until they finally arrive, is that what you're doing right now? 'Cus it really seems like it."

Riley hung up in anger as Logan continued his walk, laughing to himself for finally shushing his friend until he got to his house. However, the laughing stopped as he suddenly felt a massive slam on the back of his head, hitting the sidewalk pavement and beginning to see darkness overtake his vision. The last thing he saw was his phone being dropped next to him as someone wearing black heavy boots and cargo pants appeared above it, crushing the phone and leaving Logan's vision to fade out as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Logan began to twist and turn as he began to wake up, a massive throbbing headache occurring at the back of his skull. He began to sit up and slowly opened his eyes, not knowing what had recently transpired. He looked around the area, and saw that he was in a holding cell of sorts. There was a very uncomfortable bed he was currently sitting on, a simple desk and chair in the corner, and a rather dirty toilet about 3 feet from his bed. The entire cell was cramped, and he began to look for a way out.

He began to panic as he didn't know where he was, and couldn't understand what he did wrong. He stood up near the metal door and began yelling out, hoping some police officer or someone of the law would appear. "HELLO! ANYONE THERE! LOOK YOU GOT THE WRONG GUY! MY NAMES LOGAN J. RUWELL, AND I HAVEN'T COMMITTED A SINGLE CRIME IN MY LIFE! SO IF YOU COULD JUST LET ME OUT THAT WOULD BE FUCKING GREAT!" of course however, no-one appeared to confront him. He figured from what that guy was wearing that he was some kind of special law enforcement officer. But his mind was in denial as the other, far more likely idea on who it was began to loom over Logan's mind. He began to shake and stutter in fear as he spoke to himself, his tendencies from aspergers now showing as he loudly spoke to himself as if speaking to someone else. "No... This isn't that is it? I wasn't randomly selected to be bashed in the head, kidnapped, and thrown in a cell to be sold to human traffickers right? Please tell me I'm in a jail cell where I can at least explain myself to someone who's trustworthy... I think."

He heard distant chatter in the area to the left of his cell, and began to panic when he began to eavesdrop on the conversation between two guards walking by his cell. He wasn't an expert when interpretation was in play, but something about "Making the boss happy" and "needing new candidates" just didn't sound like your typical friendly police officers chatting to one another. In fact it sounded like something far more sinister to him. He waited for the guards to disappear before trying to quickly find a way out, desperation filling his head as he then backed up to the rear of his holding cell, and ran into the metal reinforced door. He continued on for what seemed like 5 minutes, trying with as much speed and strength as he could to barge the door down. He gave up after what seemed like forever to him before slumping to his knees.

"I'm never getting out... I'm never leaving here again am I?" was all he could mutter before crawling back to the filthy cot he was given in the cell. He rubbed and massaged his arm to sooth the now aching pain as he tried to calm himself down from a close emotional breakdown. But something in him wouldn't let him give up, he was going to break out, no matter how hard he had to persist. "If I have to dig my way out of here shawshank redemption style, I FUCKING WILL!" yelled logan in defiance of his situation. But then he saw something he couldn't help but notice. The wall surrounding the frame of his door was cracking in a lot of places, and upon further inspection of his cell realized that there was a lot more small rocks and pebbles than before.

"Wait… what?... there's no way!... It can't be!... I'm not able to ACTUALLY bash my way through this door…this reinforced metal door... can I?"

He got up and began to observe the stone walls near the cell door. Upon closer observation he realized that he could see through the cracks of the wall and view the outside of his prison cell. It looked like he wasn't in or near Scottsville anymore, the outside hallways looked way more like a secret military stronghold than that of a prison. They were made of stone but it looked like he was being held in a rather run down section of the facility. He could see that the farther down the hallways went, the more "up to date" it looked. He then looked at the cracks themselves and realized something that made his heart skip a beat. He began to think to himself as he continued to observe.

"These walls are extremely thin. Why haven't they fixed that yet?" He couldn't help but think that the people he was captured by weren't the smartest of individuals. Then again he realized that not a lot of people, if anyone at all, have ever escaped a holding cell via brute force alone.

He began to brainstorm how he was going to get out before remembering what he was carrying before being kidnapped. "If I ever plan on getting out of here, I gotta break this down and find my stuff. My gun's gotta be in this complex around here somewhere." He thought of how he was going to not get caught. He started to think of a way to get around stealthily without getting caught. Without second thought though, he backed up and resumed his stance, ready to charge at the door and finally break it down. He couldn't help but remember the Brutes from the Halo games he always played, and how he kind of felt like one when it would berserk and charge everything in its path.

He took a few deep breaths before readying himself and muttering some final words as he charged at the door and jumped, ramming it as hard as he could. The walls finally gave out as the metal cell door collapsed into the hallway outside, He himself laying on top of it before quickly getting up and rubbing his shoulder, moving his arm to try and ease the pain.

"VICTORY!"

He put his arms up in the air and yelled in triumph as he finally broke free. But as he turned around and began to strut forward confidently, he was met with a sight that he didn't like in the slightest, and froze up as a result.

The many clicks and clacks of guns could be heard as at least 50 or so people had aimed their weapons at the lone gamer. He could see many laser sights honed in on his chest and head as he stared out onto the sea of death, that was what looked like the entire complex personnel stationed there.

"OH GOD DAMN IT!" he yelled in anger as he put his hands up in defeat.

It felt like an eternity as he trembled, fearing for his life as he felt like they were going to shoot him. However they just stood there and kept their guns aimed at him. Most people would've waited and stood completely still until something happened. But Logan realized that because they weren't shooting him already, he could maybe show that he didn't want any trouble.

"Uhh… L-Look I'm not gonna cause any trouble okay, just plea-"

He was suddenly cut off by a single gunshot hitting the floor next to him, causing him to rear his right leg towards him, screaming out in fear as the bullet whizzed by.

"L-L-Look I just want to g-go home okay!"

After another minute of silence, a light turned on as a tall man dressed in a brown suit appeared from behind the crowd, calmly walking towards Logan in a way that greatly intimidated him. The man looked highly familiar, and now that he thought about it, the people behind him were wearing the same uniform as the person who knocked him out back in Scottsville. He watched in silence as they man got closer.

"_Step forward..."_

Logan swiftly did as he was told, lightly stepping forward with his hands still in the air.

"_Look at me…"_

Logan looked up at the intimidating figure, looking into the cold and almost lifeless eyes the man had. However he brought his face down as he couldn't stare up at him, his Asperger's syndrome telling him to look away.

"_I said LOOK AT ME!"_

Logan quickly flinched before looking back up at the man, now giving him his undivided attention. The man gave off a wicked smile as he looked at Logan with what looked to be a sense of power over him.

The mysterious figure responded before pointing at the floor behind Logan and asking "_Did you do that?" _Logan looked behind him as he saw the cell door on the floor, rocks and debris laying all over the area. Logan nodded in solemn fear as the man was silent, only to hear him begin chuckling a little as he then looked back at Logan's scared face.

"_Well now… I think you'd make a lovely candidate for our latest program."_

Logan quickly flinched in fear as he heard the man say that. "What do you mean?" he said with fear wavering in his voice. The man remained silent as he turned around and began to walk away. "_Take this young man to the Labs, make sure he's sedated before we begin our tests on him. Can't have another wash out like last time."_

Logan heard what the man said as it was said out loud, causing him to begin shivering in terror. He then felt that something was behind him as he turned around and saw something that made him quiver in absolute fright. Behind him was a massive, Cat like creature with massive arms, and what looked like a wrestling belt made out of… fire?

As he looked on he then realized what the creature in front of him was… and began to lose his mind at the absurdity of the situation at hand. He thought himself "Wait… that's not right! If that's what I think It is, Then where am I? What am I doing here? Am I abou-!"

"AAh!" he yelled in pain as a large needle was injected into his arm from someone who approached from behind. He instantly began to feel light headed as everything around him went dark again, falling over and losing consciousness as he lost all train of thought.

* * *

There was the sound of distant chatter as Logan began to wake up from his forcibly induced sleep. He couldn't see much yet as he was still opening his eyes. He felt like he was laying on a metal table, and could hear many instruments being fiddled with. He finally opened his eyes, only to have a blinding light meet his squinted his eyes as he tried to adjust to the light source… only to turn his head and see a gruesome and terrifying display.

There on another table about 5 feet away from his own, was a woman who was looking back at him, her body horribly mutated. She had an extra arm coming out of the lower side of her abdomen with only a half formed hand. She had extra strange appendages that sprouted out of her half-bald upper head, and she looked blind from what he could see as her eyes were milky white. Logan gasped and turned his head the other way, only to see a sight that horrified him even more.

A little yellow mouse looking creature was laying on the other operating table next to his own. He looked at it before quickly realizing with unquestionable thought that it was indeed a Pikachu… a dead one. It's body having gone through advanced decay, making Logan feel like he was going to quickly vomit. He saw that the dead corpse had bony appendages that weren't part of the normal skeletal structure as they twisted and turned out from areas like the rib cage.

Logan finally gained enough self courage to look around and see the environment, and completely lost his mind at what he saw. The whole area was one big operating room, with people dressed like scientists looking at data on rather new looking computers. He could hear people and Pokemon alike screaming and begging for mercy in the distant other rooms, as they were likely forced to endure extremely painful and horrendous operations and/or experiments.

"_Hello there!"_

Logan jumped up from being startled, but there was leather and chain straps holding him down, thus leaving him at the mercy of pretty much anything he would face. A man reacted by pressing him down and saying "_Hold it there young man, you're not going anywhere."_. Logan looked up and saw a strange looking man that looked to be in his late 50's. He was wearing glasses and had a bald head as well as a rather older looking face.

"W-W-What's going on here?! W-Why am I here?! What're you gonna do to me?!" yelled Logan, now more than terrified of what was to come. "_Oh don't you worry, I have something special planned for you. You're not staying in this lovely place, oooh no-no-no." _exclaimed the older, and definitely sinister scientist. "W-What do you mean?!" squeaked Logan.

Before the old scientist could continue, a robotic female audio announcer yelled through the intercom "Doctor Steinbach, please report to the Biotech research center and bring subject #392, thank you." The old doctor looked at Logan and snickered as he pulled out a metal tag from under the table, showing the numbers 392 as he waved it at the now pale faced 19 year old. "_Looks like they're ready for you champ!"_

Steinbach had adjusted a few knobs and switches under the table as Logan then felt him pushing the table along the floor. The wheels underneath rolling the table like a shopping cart as he was taken passed many other scientists and their "Lab rats", before being rolled out into a very wide corridor. As they were walking passed many rooms, Logan saw the most gruesome imagery he thought he would ever see. He couldn't even begin watch as he closed his eyes and tried to block out the sounds of inhuman suffering and torture that rolled by every few seconds.

After what seemed like 10 minutes of nonstop corridor walking, as well as a few stops for the crazy Doctor to quickly chat with a couple fellow scientists. They quickly approached another corridor that lead to an entirely new wing of the facility. The hallways were now more dimly lit with lime green lights as they approached some large sliding doors. Logan knew that this was the Biotech room as he figured why else the lights would be green. As Steinbach pushed the table Logan was strapped too into beyond the door, the boy awed at everything in the Atrium like area presented before him. Their were large supercomputers located to the left on the back walls of the room, and to the right were many groups of scientist looking at chemicals and gadgets. Everything to the unique minded 19 year old looked like it was ripped straight out of a high production Sci-fi movie or video game. But then he saw the most jaw dropping part of the entire room. As he slowly looked up, he laid eyes what looked to be a massive… Death Ray?

He couldn't even say what it was as the entire thing was gargantuan in size, easily the size of an entire school building. But when he looked closer he saw what looked to be a ballpoint barrel located on the bottom. "Over sized Ray gun?" Logan thought, seeming to see a small resemblance to the iconic weapon from Call of Duty. Steinbach had walked over to the other people in Lab coats who were located near a control room of sorts. Logan could hear the sounds of distinct chatter about him and began to listen in on the conversation.

Dr. Steinbach was questioning a woman in front of him as he expressed his concerns. _"How is he even a possible candidate for this project? he doesn't even seem like much more than a lowlife squabbler, I mean surely there's someone else better suited to be a our test subject, Yes?" _The women in front of him looked at him for a second and smiled rather warmly as she explained the situation. _"He may seem like nothing much… but it's not the looks that count here."_

_"That weird phenomenon happened when one of our boys brought him through the portal. They gave us an eyewitness account of seeing some strange orbs of color changing light entered the boy while unconscious. Upon which he reacted by experiencing extreme convulsions and twitching abnormally and uncontrollably. When we went to check his vitals they were fine, but when we collected a sample of his blood…"_

She paused from what Logan presumed was hesitance as Doctor Steinbach looked at her with a concerned expression. Despite his obvious negligence towards the young man himself, the Doc seemed to otherwise be a nice guy to everyone else in his vicinity… unless they were of the previously dubbed "lab rats".

_"His DNA is currently very unstable, and he's confirmed to have desirable brain characteristics for the machines and thus makes him THE prime candidate for this whole operation. The only issue here is that, well..."_ She paused again before resuming. _"If he ends up successfully surviving the experiment, it might end being a similar problem to the cinnabar incident..."_ She said that with a creepily dark tone. Logan felt a massive chill go up his spine as he felt something was going to go horribly wrong for him. He saw Dr. Steinbach look at the women with a glare before seeming to reassure her everything would go according to plan. "_Sometimes you have to gamble with destiny to make progress, even if it ends up backfiring and setting us back a few years."_

Logan was silent as he didn't know how to respond to the transpiring events unfolding before him. He was wheeled away by a couple cronies in standard black attire as he looked up at where he was going. His whole body felt like jello as his face turned pale white, as he was being rolled under the over-sized ray gun looking machine. As they placed him under their, he couldn't help but close his eyes and pray to god he would make it out of this alive. He reared his head to the side and caught sight of both the old Doctor and the strange woman, as well as a few others, behind a large glass wall that separated them from him. Everyone else in the room had evacuated to safe rooms as the large ray gun looking machine quickly adjusted its sights onto him...

A very bad sign of what was to come.

He saw a large green wavering light appearing around the ball like tip of the ceiling cannon's barrel. He began to tear up as he felt the last seconds of his terrible cruel life ticking away, before catching his own emotions and accepting his fate. He closed his eyes and heard the machine getting louder as he scrunched his face up, waiting to be vaporized without a trace and forgotten by everyone in existence. As soon as the thing hit maximum power, he uttered one final phrase.

"So this is how it ends huh..."

The cannon fired at Logan as he expected, but it wasn't killing him. He instead felt a miraculously high amount of pain. He began to scream out in absolute agony as he felt an extreme electrical burning pain course throughout his entire body from head to toe. He then felt more pain as he looked down and saw and felt things no-one should ever have happen to them.

He saw his body changing before his very eyes. Every single organ, bone, and muscle, twisting and rearranging into something else entirely. His skin began to turn a mixture of both pure white and green as a red spikes burst out of his chest and back. A large one on his upper torso, and a much flatter one on his back. His arms to turned green in color as his elbows began to grow long and almost blade like appendages. His feet mutated into large stumps in a sense while his legs painfully grew more muscle. He wanted to scream out but the pain was so excruciating that he couldn't even utter a sound. His hip bones had mutated into a small reinforced disc like shape around him as he then felt his head suffer the effects. His hair fell out as his scalp formed a hard cover over it, seeming to cover up and destroy his entire nose in the process, giving him an almost completely flat face. He could hear his skull forcibly cracking and rearranging as his ears became spiked appendages on the side of his head. His eyelids closed as his eyes changed shape and volume, opening up to have red irises' instead of his natural brown. He felt his fingers fuse together, forcing him to only have three appendages on each hand. Lastly he felt something sprout out from the top of his cranium, literally giving him an unreal head-splitting migraine as it grew out from the top center of his skull.

The ray gun from hell had finally stopped firing as it slowly retracted back upwards. He was still feeling lots of pain as he struggled to maintain his sanity. However, despite all of the horrible events he just had to deal with, he realized one more thing though all the excruciating pain he was still feeling…

He wasn't able to speak.

He couldn't use his voice box as it must have not yet fully developed. He tried to scream, but nothing but a blood curdling breath like sound came out. Logan had begun to fully freak out now as his own emotions began to take over his mind again. He felt like he was just robbed of a somewhat normal life as he was now a green and white freak! He looked around as everyone began to come out of their safety rooms. People were cautiously approaching him from all sides, saying things like "By Arceus, it worked!" and "We're gonna be rich!"

Hearing the things these people were saying sent his emotions over the edge, as he began to feel nothing but hatred for them. He couldn't hold back his own insanity anymore as one emotion boiled to the surface…

Complete and utter Rage began to fill his mind as he broke free from the tables rather tight confines. A strange black and red smokey aura surrounded him as his rage fueled desire to escape fueled his mind into overdrive. He ignored his body's howls of pain as he got up and looked at the people surrounding him. They all continued to look at the Pokemon who was once a completely innocent 19 year old boy with an innocent soul. He looked at Doctor Steinbach and the girl who accompanied him, they're faces a mixture of surprise of what they've created, and horror as they felt fear in front of the boy's face full of anger.

Logan charged at the the duo and grabbed Steinbach by the shirt, dragging him along while sprinting to the door and exiting the Biotech room. He proceeded to hold up Steinbach to the wall as the old man cowered in fear. Logan could see the man was afraid, but couldn't care anymore. He turned him into a Pokemon, and while many fools wanted that in their fantasies, having experienced it for real quickly made him a person against the very concept. He proceeded to beat Steinbach senseless via punching him in the face a few times in raw fury before letting the man drop to the ground, knocked out and bloody from the rather brutal few punches he took. Logan just stared at him for a moment before regaining his senses and bolting down the hallway, trying to seek an escape from this hell he was in.

As he rounded the corner, he was suddenly face to face with a squad of Team Rocket soldiers, who upon spotting him began raining lead from their rifles in an attempt to kill him. He jumped out of the way and ended up diving while narrowly avoiding the hail of bullets before landing behind a bunch of metal boxes. He looked down at himself as he questioned on how in the hell he did that. This whole event happening straight up defied all expectations Logan had on the world of Pokemon as a whole. Shouldn't these people be trying to use Pokemon to beat him into submission? If not that, then at least using machines to hold him down? Because here they were using freaking guns to just straight up kill him!

He began to look around for a solution to his predicament when he slightly peeked his head out, and saw the words "Foreign Item's" written on the plaque above two large swinging doors. "That's gotta be where my stuff is!" He thought in hopes of being correct.

After realizing he was going to get caught if he wasted his time pondering behind those crates, he took a deep yet somewhat painful deep breath and risked his chances of survival. He waited until most of them were caught on a reload before making a mad dash for the entrance. He was still being fired upon but somehow got away with the stunt unscathed. He entered the room to find many lockers with junk inside them, and began to quickly yet quietly look around in hopes of finding his Backpack.

However, trouble followed him as he heard the doors open and a gruff voice yell "Search the area, don't let the bastard escape!". Now he had to look around and be completely silent as to avoid getting shot and killed on sight. He continued to search through many lockers and drawers, his new feet making it more difficult to stay quiet as he wasn't quite used to them yet. He opened another locker and saw a black backpack with a familiar looking man in green armor with a gold visor… - Jackpot!

He grabbed his stuff and then realized with complete joy that they never took his great grandfather's M1911, the matte black pistol still loaded and ready to fire. He took it out of his bag and held it, His large three fingered hand somehow still able to comfortably grip the handle. He put a finger on the trigger and decided that it was time to finally fight back. Thinking to himself on how he could make 8 shots count against a now unknown amount of armed personnel, before accepting that he would have to sparingly use his shots. He had two more magazines, but even reloading would probably be too much as they would probably catch him reloading and shoot him between the eyes.

A guard appeared from behind another row of lockers and caught Logan red handed trying to grab his things. _"There you are you little shit."_ he muttered before slowly walking forward and firing a few shots of his rifle at the Gallade. But Logan was quick on the trigger as he reacted and pointed his pistol in the man's direction before firing a shot.

*BAM!*

The guard dropped to the floor as a bullet hit him directly in the heart, killing him instantly. Logan was pointing the old pistol in the direction of the guard, heavily breathing and baring his teeth in anger as he now knew it was time to get out of there. He ran past the lockers and armed guards who fired at him as he bolted out the door and back into the corridors. He continued to run as he encountered another patrol of armed team rocket soldiers, proceeding to turn right and run down another hallway in an attempt to avoid another gunfight.

As he continued sprinting he saw the entrance to a large elevator down at the very end, believing it to be the exit of this facility. But as he continued running, he was shocked to see a large and bulky mass appear in front of it. The creature looked like it weighed a ton, and was extremely fat, it's thick yellow stomach and stubby limbs giving away the identity of the creature.

However Logan noticed something abnormal about it "A-A Snorlax!... wait a minute, WHAT THE HELL?!" This Snorlax had a mechanical arm, and was pointing it at the sprinting human turned Gallade. A light appeared at the end of the arm as it began to charge up, causing Logan to duck and cover at the thought of getting blown into oblivion. The large cannon fired a beam of yellow energy as it hit the structuring behind Logan, causing it to cave in and trap him in the hallway with this Snorlax guarding the only exit.

"Snooorlaaaaax!" yelled the gluttonous Pokemon as he began charging the gallade in cover. As it got close, Logan jumped up high and over its head before crash landing on the floor behind it. The massive Snorlax quickly turned around and lifted it's large foot, ready to crush Logan into a gory paste. Logan reacted by aiming his pistol up at the over sized Pokemon and firing, shooting off all seven rounds left in the magazine in a morbid yet necessary attempt kill the powerful foe.

It was stunned as the large forty-five ACP rounds hit their marks in its stomach, chest, and even one in its ear. But the beastly tank of a Pokemon was still standing, stunned for a bit but quickly trying to recover. As Logan took his chance to escape, he heard more team rocket guards getting close as he ran up to the elevator and entered it.

He was about to escape when he saw a small army of guards behind the fat creature, who all began to rain down a hail of gunfire on his location as the doors to the elevator closed. He took a deep breath and wiped his forehead in relief before feeling a sudden burning sensation on the left side of his lower abdomen. He put his hand there and cringed in pain before feeling a warm flowing liquid in his hand. When he pulled his hand up to inspect it, he saw a ton of blood that completely covered his fingers and upper palm.

He was wounded by a gunshot to his abdomen, realizing that he still had a fair distance to flee before he was even able to assume he's even remotely safe. His adrenaline filled mind began to ponder again if he would make it out of this whole situation alive before hearing the elevator bell ring. He took the opportunity reloaded his pistol before the door opened up to reveal more rocket grunts lined up with there rifles pointing at the elevator. Logan figured this was it and that he failed, as he put his hands up in defeat. But as a female guard walked close to him, he quickly changed idea's and grabbed the female by the throat before punching away her rifle. He then quickly spun her around and held her hostage while moving himself out of the elevator an around the armed guards, all trying to intimidate him into trying to give her up.

"GIVE UP YOU FUCKING FREAK! YOU GOT FIVE SECONDS TO HAND HER TOO US, OR YOUR BOTH GONNA BE SHOT!" yelled one of the guards in anger. But Logan already saw his way out beyond the front gate.

"FIVE!", Logan got close to a vehicle near the gate.

"FOUR!", He stopped behind the vehicle

"THREE!", The women was let go as Logan abruptly shot his pistol again at the man counting down. The shot landed on his upper leg as Logan ran out the front gate, the other stunned guards snapping out of it and firing back in hailstorm of bullets. Logan quickly ran into the forest as a Helicopter flew over head, trying to get a visual on the Gallade who raised hell in team rocket's base just to escape. Logan sprinted with all the energy he could muster as he tried to get out of the bright searchlights cone of vision. He tired changing direction whenever he saw more shrubbery and obstacles nearby, hoping to fool the helicopter into losing him. As he heard men in the distance trying to chase him down, he continued to run, feeling he could outrun them if he continued his little trick...

* * *

Logan had been running for what seemed like hours before his body had finally given out and forced him to lean up against a large tree. The clearing he was located in was far enough away from the war zone he was forced to go through, and so he wasn't worried about any members of Team Rocket showing up. Having far outran them and probably forced them to call off the search. He was more worried about going to sleep, and he feared he would never wake up due to blood loss. His own emotions began to cloud his mind as he began to lose his self control and break down in tears, finally letting himself go of all the unnatural amounts of pent up despair as he silently sobbed. His silent sobbing turning to wailing as his voice still hadn't formed, making his crying episode dead silent with the exception of throaty gasping breaths and long wails of whispering screams with no voice attached. His right hand had subconsciously covered his face, leaving massive smears of blood covering roughly half his entire face. with his left hand covering his face up as well. He bent his knees close to his chest as he continued to sob.

After thirty or so minutes of having the worst emotional overload of his entire life, he began to lose consciousness as his wound was still bleeding, forcing him to move his arms from his face and cover the wound in hopes of adding enough pressure to it. But alas, he knew that there was little chance of ever leaving the area alive, and so he let sleep overwhelm him. The blanket of death sweeping over his consciousness as he fell asleep, certain he would be dead by tomorrow morning.

* * *

The sounds of various wild Pokemon were quiet yet noticeable as the forest sprang to life in the early morning. The quiet sound of water from the small lake also filling Logan's hearing as he began to wake up. He didn't even dream last night, he just fell into an endless void of deep sleep, kind of giving off the allusion that he only closed his eyes for around fifteen minutes or so. He tried to get up but felt a huge rush of pain from his abdomen as he looked down and remembered what happened last night. His thoughts went back to how he thought he was going to die last night, and the many horrors both endured and witnessed as he then looked at his new body.

He began to wonder how on earth he didn't pass on from blood loss. He looked down and saw that while the wound was still fully exposed, it had stopped bleeding for now. He took the opportunity to try and at least seal the wound until he could maybe get some real medical attention. He grabbed his backpack that lay beside him and looked at the back of it, an image of the Master Chief holding his rifle staring back at him.

"Man... wish I had armor like that when escaping" Logan closed his eyes and thought to himself. He then grabbed the right strap and looked for something to cut it with. He looked around desperately for what seemed like forever until he remembered something and looked at his elbows. He thought of just how dumb he was for a bit before using bending his left elbow out in front of him. He then grabbed his Backpacks right strap with his hand before using his elbow to cut the whole strap off. Opening up a small pocket on the upper left side of the backpack, he then proceeded to pull out a clean red t-shirt.

He packed clothes for the party he was supposed to be at... which was now all but a simple memory. He stopped for a second and stared at the red shirt with a red pokeball on it, as he began to experience memories of him and Justin playing games online and messing around with randoms as well as friends on Xbox Live.

He snapped out of his trance and began carefully folding the shirt before gently laying it over his wound before tying the strap around his lower abdomen. This was followed by him then tightening it so that the shirt would more effectively cover the wound up while still keeping pressure on it.

After admiring his novice handiwork, he struggled to stand up as he fought the pain his wound was giving him. But he managed to muscle through it as he finally stood, taking his backpack and heaving it over the stronger left shoulder as he made his way deeper into the sunlit forest. As he began his trek, he grabbed his pistol and pulled out another magazine from a hidden outer compartment. Not having to deal with crazy goons, armed with bigger guns meant he had the time to reach for the pocket and finally reload his M1911. He only had 1 extra magazine, and when he considered the chances of encountering tougher Pokemon, it made him realize just how precious each bullet was. But that didn't faze him as he continued to walk deeper and deeper. He looked up into the sky, wishing he could have at least known where he was.

He looked around and began to walk a bit more carefree until he felt a warm liquid slowly flow down his side. He knew that it was his blood, and tied the makeshift bandage tighter before continuing to walk, albeit with a much gentler stride as too make sure he doesn't restart the bleeding again. He had just let his mind get the best of him again, he couldn't afford to have that happen again if he wanted to survive.

He hoped he could get some professional medical help soon.


	2. With a Good Heart Comes a Twisted Mind

The bright and beautiful sun was still high in the sky, as wild Pokemon of all shapes and sizes roamed around the vast wilderness. It was like entering a peaceful dream, as if it was all nothing but a figment of someone's ideal imagination. It all just calmed Logan's nerves while he continued to aimlessly wonder. He never even liked going outside to begin with, so the forest having this kind of effect on him was nothing short of surprising to him. He had been traveling the forest for what he felt like was around 5-6 hours. He admired the trees around him as he witnessed a few tailow flying about. The flowers that were growing were very beautiful, and were more bright and vivid than he had ever seen.

His careful stroll came to a halt as he stopped to put his left hand over his forehead, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to see anything in the distance. He spotted a clearing, and from what he could see It wasn't a completely natural formation. He let out a satisfied whispery "Hmph" as he had found a sign to what he was looking for. About 100 yards in front of him was a beaten path, a sign of civilization nearby. He quickly made haste towards it as he started to think to himself. He was weighing the pros and cons of his current situation. His wound wasn't bleeding at the moment, but he didn't take any chances as he still walked with gentle footsteps and less stretching.

**"If I can get this treated, then I'll be more capable of defending myself. Hell, maybe I'll even learn some of those moves Pokemon have."** he exclaimed to himself in his own mind. But as he approached the path, his mind wandered into more negative territory as he thought of the bad ramifications. **"But then again they might take my stuff thinking they were stolen, and send me to some facility for Pokemon in need of companions. Which would be a nightmare... that's the last thing I want is to be captured in a poke ball… oh god no."**

He muttered those last words with a shiver, solidifying his feelings towards the current situation, deciding that it was best if he somehow fooled the Nurse Joy or whoever was at the Pokemon center into thinking he already belonged to someone. He didn't really know how he would pull it off though, and so he just decided to travel on the outer edge of the road, making sure not to expose himself to anyone as he was still relatively hidden behind the rather thick foliage.

After another 10 minutes of walking the beaten dirt roads edge, he heard his stomach growl… loud. He groaned to himself in annoyance as his empty stomach meant he had to eat something soon, lest he end up starving. He ignored it for now though as he continued to walk along, mentally telling himself that since there's plenty of wild Pokemon around, it wouldn't be hard to hunt a meal down, or to pick some berry bushes back in the clearing he originally vacated.

He came to a stop after seeing what looked to be a great place to set up camp. Despite the time looking to only be around 1:00 or 2:00 judging by the position of the sun, he had obviously NOT slept very well last night. His little run in with everything that had transpired last night had taken a toll on his sleep, and mental psyche. He decided that medical attention would have to wait a little bit longer as he approached a small enclosure in the miniature cliffside. He began to inspect it for any signs of established living, pissing off the wildlife in his current condition would almost certainly lead to his demise, or at least would lead to more wounds he'd have to deal with. There was no scraps of food, waste, bedding, or really anything of that sort which indicated a presence. As he tried to enter the small formation completely, he heard some rustling leaves in the distance, and turned around to check on the sound.

Something in the atmosphere changed as his gut suddenly began to feel weird, as if somebody was watching him from a distance. He slowly began to look around the premises in an attempt to see if anyone was in the area, fearing that it could be a wild Pokemon or worse, a trainer looking for a catch. Logan began to feel even more paranoid as he then remembered exactly what he had become. He was a Gallade now after all, and from what he remembered they were extremely rare to find out in the wild. His condition also meant that even novice trainers might feel more emboldened to try and lay claim on his freedom, cooping him up in a ball and enforcing upon him there will.

As he began to think he was just hearing things, he turned his attention back to the cave in hopes of seeking shelter inside.

"_**SNAP!"**_

A twig snapped as Logan quickly turned towards the direction of the sound. He turned to catch a glimpse of someone hiding behind a few bushes. "_Wildfire, use Fire Punch!" _was all Logan heard before a red blur jump from the bushes, followed by a large ball of fire hurling towards him. He quickly tried to run but was too late as the punch sent him reeling back, spinning in mid-air as he hit the ground hard. Surprisingly, he somehow wasn't knocked out and without a second thought managed to get back on his feet, albeit kind of clumsily. His mind somewhat in a haze as he struggled to even comprehend what was even happening.

"_He's a tough one, He'll make a great addition to our little family!" _Said the unknown voice. It was a female for sure, but all Logan heard was "_great addition to our little family!"_ Logan suddenly began to feel something boil inside of him, his mind going blank as he began to feel anger well up within him. He wasn't going to be made someone's slave, and he most definitely wasn't going to be part of some "family", he just wouldn't stand for it.

As he turned around to get a good look at what he was facing, his odds of winning suddenly dwindled down to near non-existent, as he saw an entire group of other Pokemon, all up against him in a 1v5. The person he heard earlier was also now in complete view. It was a women who seemed to be around her early 20's, and had a belt of poke balls around her waist. She was of Caucasian skin color with a dark grey hoodie that zip up to her neck, as well as a similarly colored hat with a red poke ball in the center. The pants she wore were black jeans that matched the color of her sneakers. She had long Silver hair that trailed to the middle of her back, as well as blue eyes.

**(Trainers POV)**

I was looking at the Gallade in front of me and my entire team, ready to help me in capturing the latest addition to our one big happy family. We had been traveling the region and were already on our way to the Elite Four Championship. But we all agreed that a sixth member would be highly beneficial to our chances of winning. The Champion, Brendon from what I remembered, was no joke when battling was concerned, and never took it easy on any of his opponents.

However as I looked at the Gallade who stood in front of us, I caught sight of the large amounts of blood that covered half its entire body, some of it still fresh. I could only worry as I wondered how it got to the state it was in. The backpack it was lugging on it's back also caught my attention as it seemed to be full, and from what I understood, The Ralts line weren't known for making things like sacks or really any tools for that matter. It just looked at me, it's eyes filled with determination despite it's bleak looking situation. Something I thought was promising If I could just catch it.

My team consisted of five Pokemon at the moment.

Lilly was my Gardevoir who was gifted to me as a Kirlia from my mother. She was in our family since I was still an infant and she was a newborn Ralts. Her shiny appearance funnily enough had allowed us to gain quick attention from people who wouldn't normally notice us, and so we were traveling, we always found someone if we were looking for them. She had always been a loyal friend and companion when I needed her.

Wildfire was my Blaziken, who was given to me as a little Torchic by Professor Birch as my starter. He was by far the most competitive of my team, and usually would win in every battle he was pitted into. He was a bit of a hothead though, since he always tried to be the best at just about everything. But that's why everyone liked him so much.

Lucy was my Lucario who was also the most recent addition to my team. She was also a bit of a hothead, but unlike Wildfire she did was a bit more reserved.

Nacho was my Machamp, and served as our official tank in combat. He could take the punishment and deal it out in equal measure. Sure, he wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but he was such a sweetheart, as he would never hurt a fly… well, not on purpose anyway.

My Staraptor, Snowfield, was our scout when traveling around. He had a bad habit of spying on others, but always seemed to get away with it, even if it's on someone like me or my team. He always felt like he had something to say.

They all surrounded this lone Gallade, ready to dish out the damage in order for me to capture it. I however decided to try and see if it was even safe to capture it as one more hit looked like it would kill the poor thing._"Lucy look under that red cloth wrapped around him, I think he's injured... badly."_ I had issued. I wanted to take the wild Pokemon to the emergency wing of the Pokemon Center, knowing that the wounds needed immediate attention. That all went down the drain as she approached the Gallade.

I witnessed as she got closer that it started to back up slowly, as if denying her a chance to see just how bad the damage was to his abdomen. She wouldn't take no for an answer though, and as she touched the cloth, The wild Pokemon reached for something behind itself.

A loud *BANG!* was heard as it retrieved what appeared to be a gun from one of the smaller pocket's in it's backpack. It had fired it up in the air and caused Lucy to fall back in fear as it then proceeded to aim it as us. I gasped in horror as well as curiosity strangely enough. This Gallade was definitely not of the average encounter, not even close. My mind was racing as It stood there in silence, as if telling us to back away or it would shoot. "_L-L-Lilly, Tell him w-we just wanna help." _I had said in complete fear, seriously wondering if this Gallade was insane or not.

**(Lilly's POV)**

I had been told by my master to try and communicate with this strange example of my kind. I along with everyone else, couldn't help but feel not only frightened by this whole ordeal. But also intrigued at his different approach to self-defense. I had never seen anyone of my own use such… deadly methods of force, nor wear such clumsy gear. The fact that he was covered in his own blood did greatly concern me however, and so I tried to speak with him, as my master commanded.

_"**Hello?" **_was all I said before he had jumped, and pointed the weapon at me as a result. He was appearing to shake slightly, and of course to me that only meant one thing.

Fear…

Wildfire had decided to speak up, most likely impatient from the situation at hand. _**"Lil' can't ya just take the weapon away from 'em?" **_I gave him an annoyed look, leaving him to cross his arms and silence himself as I continued to speak with the strange one.

_"**Will you speak to us?"**_

He only responded by stopping himself from stepping back. I could have just taken the weapon out of his hands, but doing so might trigger a much more aggressive response from the frightened gallade. I began to wonder if he had even learned how to use his telepathy to speak yet. It was a silly thought yes, but I was in for a big shock when this question was confirmed.

_"**Haven't you learned to speak yet my friend? Surely you've been at least taught by one of your own, Yes?"**_

His response was merely an agitated expression that stretched across his face. I realized I might have said something I shouldn't had when he began to back away again, a strong emotion of anger now emanating from him. I figured out at this point that something must've went horribly wrong when I looked at his blood drenched left side. Connecting the dots from his actions and appearance had led me to try to approach him from another angle, metaphorically speaking of course. I had begun to link my mind with his while I communicated with him, allowing me to hear his thoughts, and hopefully speak with me.

**(General POV)**

_**"I'm sorry if I offended you… I don't understand why your so hostile to us."**_

Logan by now was ticked off from the whole event that was transpiring. He not only just got clocked in the face with a punch engulfed in flames, but also realized he was going to be captured, no matter the outcome. Even if he had the unique advantage of basic gun training, his M1911 would only get him so far, as killing one of them meant the rest would end up killing him in defense, or vengeance. His thoughts began to answer Lilly's question, not knowing she could now hear him.

**"Are you stupid?! THAT FUCKER OVER THERE JUST PUNCHED ME, WITH FLAMES!"**

Lilly was now curious on why this one was acting so... different, compared to most other Gallade she had encountered._**"Well if you could be so kind as to not use such foul language against us that would be nice…"**_ She said gently.

Logan froze up at her response, once again no longer backing up into the forest.

"**Wait a sec, you can actually hear me?!" **he questioned with surprised shock, putting his left hand above his chest spike. Lilly responded with a nod before resuming the conversation. _"**Indeed, But I must ask how you haven't learned to use your own telepathy yet." **_Logan looked at her, dumbfounded with what she meant. He figured that she was assuming he was always like this, but didn't think she or anyone else would believe his story, and so he answered with more anger present in his voice.

"**I'm not who you think I am… now tell your master to leave me alone, Because I'm not letting myself get captured to become some chick's slave!"**

Lilly glared at him with a stoic expression before disconnecting her thoughts and telling her master what Logan had said. _**"He's not very thrilled with the idea of being captured. Might I recommend that we get him medical treatment first?"**_

The trainer looked more serious in demeanor as she listened to Lilly. She knew that she'd most likely have to knock the Gallade out to bring it to the center. But the fact that it knew the things it did and used the things it could use, It put her in a seriously dangerous situation. "Well here's how I see it, he either get's captured so we can save his life, Or we risk losing him on our way to the center since he isn't suspended in a poke ball._"_ Logan's mind raced at hearing those words, complete rage taking over his thoughts as he figured that enough was enough. He would rather be killed than be captured, and he was going to make that known, one way or another.

As Lilly turned to try and speak with him again, He began to fire his pistol directly at them. Earning some terrified yelps as everyone sought cover from the violent resolution Logan decided to act upon. His eyes were wide open in fury while his breathing was heavy, as if ready to scream out. Wildfire and Luciano had broken cover to try and engage him before he could hurt anyone. But he had already begun rapidly retreating into the forest again, forcing them to chase him down.

Logan was running as fast as he could, searching for some sort of hiding spot but with no luck. His pursuers were quickly catching up as he tried to outrun them, resulting in more rounds being discharged in their direction. However, as he reloaded the final magazine and fired a few more shots, he began to feel weak and slow down. His vision became blurry as he slowed to a shamble before collapsing onto the forest floor, the Blaziken and Lucario from before quickly approaching him. As he aimed his gun at them in a last stand of defiance, he pulled the trigger, only to hear the sound of clicking, his weapon having finally run out of ammunition. The last thing he would see was everyone surrounding him as the shiny Gardevoir knelt beside him. The women approached with her hat covering her eyes as she pulled out a poke ball. He heard the sound of it opening before everything went black.

* * *

There was the sound of a heart monitor as Logan began to awaken from being unconscious. His eyes slowly opening as he made out what appeared to be a rather peaceful looking hospital room, air conditioning audibly yet quietly running through the vents. The bed he was lying on was very comfortable, something that he couldn't help but feel thankful for as he sat up. A Chancey was currently wandering around the room and inspecting the equipment, and from what Logan could tell was oblivious to his awakening. That quickly changed when she turned her head and glimpsed him trying to climb out of the bed.

He wanted to try and see where he was, and figured he was in good enough condition to check the window located next to him. Chancey reacted by quickly waddling over to him and putting her hands on his chest to try and push him back, wanting him to be fully recovered before getting out of bed. This gesture was met with resistance as Logan batted himself away from her touch, earning a concerned glance from the pink nurse Pokemon as she hadn't seen someone of his type act like this before.

As soon as Logan stood, he felt a sudden rush of pain in his side, and stumbled back onto the bed, clutching his now completely bandaged abdomen. He sat on the bed before looking at the Chancy, his face full of annoyance as she felt his emotions, the question "What are you looking at..." entered her mind as she quickly turned to look away. He questioned why she looked so nervous all of a sudden as she pressed a large green button located near the entrance of the room. Upon pressing it, a female voice appeared over the intercom in the room. "They'll be right up with him shortly, thank you for your help Chansey." Logan raised an eyebrow as he curiously and wondered who was coming to see him.

He just sat there in silence as he began to question why he even bothered asking stuff at this point. He had already had been transformed into a Pokemon, had survived a daring escape from armed thugs, and somehow managed to survive an abnormal amount of blood loss. Asking questions was now something that just led to more questions and none of them being answered.

He heard a woman talking as she approached his door, seemingly talking to multiple people as his heightened sense of hearing picked up multiple footsteps behind her. Upon opening a door, He saw Nurse Joy appear in the room, followed by The female trainer as well as her team. They all entered the room where he currently was being cared for, causing a large wave of irritation to wash over him.

The nurse turned to face at them all before giving a run down on everything that center did. Her face was glowing with a small smile as she spoke.

"_So he's been all patched up and cared for, we recommend that he stay another few nights before leaving with you. Also, the stuff he was carrying in that backpack of his wasn't even recognized or seen as registered by the detectives at SPD, not even officer Jenny. We just assumed they belong to him, or someone he might be close too, so we left the belongings in the backpack for you to take home."_

_"What about that gun he was __using?" _Allison asked.

_"Also going with you, there's no ammo left and we couldn't exactly figure out the origin of it... The company Logo and serial number don't match anything on record, so it's probably a custom design in origin. We can't exactly take it away since we don't have any physical evidence of him shooting it to begin with, but we suggest you have it checked out by a gun enthusiast, they can probably tell you more about it. In the mean time keep it locked tight and away from him."_

The woman gave a deep breath as she smiled and spoke with an upbeat persona.

"_So... Despite what happened in the forest yesterday, We've all decided to forgive you since we all figured it was just out of fear. With that we would also like to introduce ourselves!"_

Logan reacted with just staring at them in silence, anger welling up in him over the mere sight of them.

"_That's Wildfire, he's a bit of a hothead but he'll be gentle" _The Blaziken responded by smiling and crossing his arms in soft confidence.

"_That's Lucy and Snowfield, They helped track you down when you needed our help."_ Lucy nodded while Snowfield raised his wings in greeting.

"_That's Nacho, don't let his size fool ya, he's a completely gentle giant."_ The Machamp waved both his right arm in greeting him.

"_That's Lilly, she recently volunteered to help you with anything you needed, so just ask her if you need something okay?"_ Lilly looked at him with a gentle smile, her arms crossed in front of her in a show of peaceful intentions. _"_

_And I'm Allison, I'm your master from now on so I'll be the one taking care of you. I'll be helping you achieve your highest potential in battle, But I expect you to always do your best."_ The enthusiasm present in her voice made Logan's stomach sink.

She just called herself his master... this wasn't going to fly with him for long.

_"With all that out of the way, Welcome to the Family!"_ She yelled with even more enthusiasm than before, clearly excited to finally have a sixth member join the team.

Logan still wasn't amused… Coldly staring at the group with anger present in his eyes. There was no embracing, or acceptance… or even tolerance present whatsoever in his demeanor.

Lilly had already caught on to his thoughts on the matter and sighed, realizing that the road ahead was going to be a bumpy one for all of them. Everyone (except Logan) knew how lucky they had it with Allison, as she was very understanding and patient with them. But this new addition seemed like someone who didn't seem to enjoy much in the way of social interaction, a lone wolf you could say. She saw how everyone in the room began to lose their smiles as this Gallade tested was testing their patience.

The whole room was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time before Allison broke the silence.

"_Oh come one! Aren't you excited to have a family! We'll enjoy our time wandering the region, relaxing by the campfire, winning battles, It's the best I promise!"_

Logan responded by laying back down on the bed before turning in the opposite direction and covering himself completely with the blankets. He just wanted them to forever go away, to just leave him be. Was it that hard to ask?

Allison gave up her act as she accepted the fact that this one would need some time to get used to his new life. She had dealt with situations like this from both Snowfield and Nacho. The latter of which being more easy to work with as his noncompliance was out of misunderstanding, not defiance. She told Lilly to link her mind with everyone else in the room, thus allowing a discussion among the entire group via a telepathic link between everyone. Lilly did as she was told and did just that, thus allowing everyone to speak their minds. The first one to speak was Lilly herself.

She approached Logan and gently sat down at the edge of the bed,_"_

_**Well my friend, everyone can hear you and you can hear them. Would you care to say hello?"**_

Logan felt uncomfortable with currently being the center of attention, as he could feel the many sets of eyes staring at his bed.

**"Go away…"** was all he muttered.

Wildfire chuckled before speaking, his voice gruff and booming.

"_**Aww, what's the matter rookie? Ya Ain't afraid of us now are ya? That ain't no way of thankin' us for saving ya out there." **_he joked with sarcasm, earning an annoyed stare from Luciona.

"_**I'd be quiet if I were you Chicken Wing. He took a punch from you while wounded and weakened, and still had the guts to get back up and fight back. He might one day rival you in battle for all we know."**_

_**"I don't doubt that one bit..."**_ Wildfire responded excitedly.

Nacho went over to the bed and quickly ripped the sheets of Logan, not seeming to care about Logan's current emotions as he tried to make him feel welcome. "_**Come on, sit up and talk to us like a real friend, show us some love here br-"**_

Logan jolted up in anger and spat out in disgust **"I'm not your friend! Do you hear me! I'm not your friend!"**

Everyone in the room went silent with astonishment as they heard him speak with perceived indignation.

**"You all need to stop acting like I should feel happy about being captured! I didn't ask to be some bitch's unwilling battle buddy, nor to be enslaved against my will, so just leave me the alone!"**

His eyes were wide with hatred as he bared his clenched teeth in anger, showing none of the affection they had oh so wished from him in return.

He tried getting up from his bed again, but ended up yelling out in pain before collapsing onto his knees and supporting himself with his arms, his left hand clasping his bandaged wound in pain. Lilly and Allison quickly tried to help him up as he fell to the floor, but were both met with resistance as he told them to get there filthy hands off him. He stood up and leaned himself against the wall, trying to muscle through the massive burning sensation on the entire left side of his middle and upper body, as he slowly went up to over to where his bed blankets were laying. He kicked them off the floor and onto his right arm as he made his way back to the bed, grunting in pain the whole way. As he sat back onto the bed, he looked at everyone with another cold stare. This time they all returned the same expression, which didn't bother him in the slightest.

"_**Ya know the least you could have done was show us some gratitude for saving your life, ya little Punk!" **_yelled Wildfire in irritation, pointing his clawed talon with annoyance at Logan. Logan didn't seem affected by the gesture however.

**"Oh, okay! Thanks for making my life even more unbearable than it already was by not killing me on the spot like you should have! I couldn't have done it without ya!"**

He smiled with extreme sarcasm as he made it ever more clear just how much he hated his predicament. Wildfire began to hastily make his way to Logan before being stopped by Allison and letting her speak.

"_Look whether you like it or not, your part of us now. So you better get used to it or you'll be spending a lot of time in your poke ball. Do you underst-"_

**"Oooh, I'm so scared, What's the matter? Big shot like you can't handle the heat? I know the reason you captured me and let me be honest, It'll only serve to make it harder to contain me! Some day your gonna have to let me out, some day your gonna have to feed me, or let me use the bathroom. So if you think you can just coup me up in that prison you call a poke ball, I'll make sure to hurt you where it hurts the most!"**

"_And how in Giratina's Hellscape are you gonna do that? I have my friends here to protect me, and you don't have that gun of yours anymore. So what makes you think I should be worried about your threats!"_

**"Oh, you seem to be mistaken. I didn't say I'd hurt you _physically_ did I?"**

Everyone instantly felt a little uneasy as Logan began to show one of his rarer and more sinister skills… one that usually went unnoticed, and for good reason.

**"Well lets see. First, I could just purposely starve myself to the point of looking like a skeleton, during which I'd also cover myself in my own filth. Imagine how that would look when people see so much as a glimpse of me. You'd lose all your training abilities, and maybe even lose your so called "Family"... wouldn't that be a shame."**

"_You wouldn't dare do that… you can't!"_

**"Oh I wouldn't? okay then. Say if I didn't do little things like that, I could always just play the trust game. You know, gain your trust by acting like I'm getting along with everyone. Only to escape and ditch you when you least expect it. Or worse…"**

Everyone was appalled at the things coming out of this Gallade's mind. He certainly was an exception to his species normal embrace of honor and gallantry. No, to them he was looking like nothing but a manipulator who got his way even through the most lowly and dishonorable of acts.

**"I could wait till that Championship I heard you mention… knowing basic battle strategy, You'd probably send me out last. I could just let myself get tossed around, maybe even lose the battle. Oh, that would be a shame, wouldn't it? To see your chances of success just, Poof! Disappear along with your hopes and dreams of becoming a champion. And if I'm sent in midway through, then you'll still just end up severely disadvantaged."** Logan gained a devious smile as he began to show his true darkest side. Allison was now enraged as she got in his face and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"_You listen here you disrespectful...!"_

Her anger prevented her from coming with an insult, causing her to groan in anger.

_I'm your master, and if you disobey me then I'll be sure to-"_

**"You'll be sure to what! The most you can do is release me, or store me in those PC's. But storing me in one of those only means being sent to some geeky Professor's Lab. That would be much easier to escape since they are bound to let me roam around freely eventually. Face it, You can't do jack shit to me! I'm already one step ahead of you, and that should be calling into question your ability as a Master. But I'm not one for judgement, I'll just let you decide that one for yourself."**

Lilly was horrified at just how intelligent this Gallade was. He not only pointed out three solid methods of escape, but got inside Allison's head effortlessly. A master manipulator, and cunning strategist. Everyone in the room felt much more uneasy over the lengths he was willing to go just to regain total freedom. Allison was completely silent now, seemingly defeated by some wild Gallade who somehow had a higher understanding of the human mind than even other humans.

She began to sob before quickly bolting out of the room, Wildfire and Nacho giving chase while Lilly, Lucy, and Snowfield remained in the room.

Lucy was staring at Logan with the eyes of a killer. She wanted so badly to just cut open his bandage and rip out his entrails from his wound. But then Snowfield began to speak.

"_**There's just one small problem with your plan..."**_ he exclaimed, a noticeable British accent in his speech.

**"Oh?"** said Logan with his curiosity peaking greatly.

"_**You haven't noticed it yet, but if your released, what makes you think you'll survive out there. It's pretty obvious your a bit of a knob when finding your way around is concerned. Also, you sound young enough for me to believe you just recently evolved. You couldn't possibly have learned any powerful enough moves to stay alive in the wild alone, at least for a long time."**_

Logan could only look at the Staraptor with intrigue as it also seemed to be very highly observant and precise in its arguments. But he made it clear he wasn't intending to stay long.

**"My plan after escaping isn't surviving at this point, I could care less if I die…"**

This made the remaining rest of the room gasp in shock all at once. Lilly finally decided to speak up as she couldn't handle the negativity from him anymore.

_"**That is enough, You mean to say you don't appreciate the things your parents have done for y-"**_

Logan interrupted via snapping at her unexpectedly.

**"You shut your goddamn mouth about my parents! They are nothing but irresponsible piles of shit who deserve nothing less than the deepest and hottest canyons of Hell, TO BURN IN FOR ETERNITY!"**

Lilly's eyes went wide with disbelief as he sat with his legs crossed on the bed and slowly rocked back and forwards, visibly beginning to show signs of becoming mentally overwhelmed.

She was highly intrigued at his behavior as she might've caught a hint of what caused him to behave this way. After exchanging glances with Luciona and Snowfield, she paused for a brief moment of thought. Upon coming to a conclusion, she decided what she should do. She looked at him and decided to try her luck and ask his permission for her to do what she felt was necessary. She spoke as softly as she could, trying to show her peaceful intentions by not appearing as a potential threat.

_"**Look... everyone else is very upset with you, and I am as well. But I feel as if something happened in your life that left your mind and soul scarred. I ask for your permission to access your memories to truly see the cause of this, what I feel is, unnaturally bizarre behavior... especially for someone as unique as you. May I?"**_

There was a long silence as Logan looked up at her. He stared her directly in the eyes, his red iris' appearing to stare directly into her head, as if looking for the smallest of signs that spelled distrust or caution. After waiting for a response from him, he closed his eyes and lowered his head before quietly muttering out his words.

**"Fine... but only if you leave me alone afterwards."**


	3. Official Main Cast Voices (From Author)

**Please keep in mind that these are just the voices ****_I imagine_**** when thinking of how these character's sound. I just thought that some of you would like to see the list and since I've recently gotten 100 followers on this story i'm delivering it a little early.**

* * *

Logan - Slightly higher pitched than average 19 year old males voice when thinking.

Lilly - Soft, smooth and very caring. The kind of female voice that you can't be mad at for long. Average pitch.

Wildfire - Very Southern accent, deep and gruff, kind of intimidating.

Nacho - a lot like Joe Pesci's voice. (The smaller bald criminal from the Home Alone movies)

Lucy - rough voice, very tomboy inspired.

Snowfield - sounds a lot like skipper from Penguins of Madagascar... just not the same personality.

Allison - Sounds like Cortana from Halo games.

* * *

**More voices on the way for anyone who wants to know more.**

**Also, Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read this, it really means a lot to me. I've always kind of been a bit of a quiet one in real life so seeing this kind of attention and support does make me happy.**

**\- Theholyeggplant**


	4. The Big Idea

Logan accepted Lilly's request, figuring she would probably just keep asking until he gave in to her. He was sitting on the bed and slowly rocking back and forth, trying to remain intact mentally before he had another mental breakdown.

_"__**I need you to remain calm while I journey through your mind, so I can more clearly see what happened."**_

Lilly said gently, sitting back on the bed and putting her hand on his shoulder. He nudged away again as he didn't like being touched, but Lilly didn't take offense to it as he just seemed to do it with everyone. Her eyes began to glow as she began to do her magic.

_"__**Just let me know if it's too much, you might re-experience some traumatizing memories from prior events…"**_

Logan had beads of sweat traveling down his head as he was extremely nervous over hearing those words. He REALLY didn't want that, and began to quickly reconsider things as that wasn't part of his plan. Putting his hands up to her, his fear got the best of him as he told her to halt the procedure.

"**Wait! Wait! Wait! Look, Don't go too deep into my head, just search around for the events before you found me out there. That's all I'm willing to show you. Go any further, and there will be trouble."**

Lilly was understanding of his decision as she didn't think he could handle it anyway. It wasn't that he was weak in character or anything, as even she couldn't bring herself to do such measures to herself, even if it's to rid herself said dark memories.

_"__**As you wish, but please try to keep yourself under control. I do not wish to make you feel like your privacy is being invaded or anything."**_

Logan nodded before he laid back down on the bed, ready for her to do what she seemed to do best.

* * *

**(Allison's POV)**

There I was, sitting on a bench outside the rear of the building, sobbing at the realization of the mistake I made capturing this Pokemon. I just don't understand, why would a wild Pokemon that had their life saved be so hateful afterwards! I just wanted him to allow us to bond. What happened in his life to make him so cold? How did he know all of that info about the trainer laws? How could he devise such cruel and careless, yet foolproof plans so immaculately? Why in Arceus' name did he know how to properly operate firearms? Who even goes out of there way to teach that to a Pokemon!

I just couldn't wrap my head around all of it as I continued to cry some more. Wildfire and Nacho were both on each side of me, trying to find ways to cheer me up, but to no avail. Nacho muttered his name a couple times quietly before gently moving closer and embracing me with all four arms. It was like a thick cage of muscle had surrounded me to protect me from a world of hurt, and it worked. I leaned into him as Wildfire did the same thing, moving closer and wrapping his feathered arms around me, nuzzling his beak gently over my shoulder in a kind gesture of friendship. I stopped sobbing as I began to talk to them. I began to ponder why one would be so dogged in his ways.

"_How could he say such things, threatening all our livelihoods just to remain untamed, like we're nothing but piles of worthless garbage to him. He doesn't even seem to tolerate us. No signs of affection, no thank you… not even a smile._"

But I knew that no matter what, this new addition was my responsibility. I captured him, and I couldn't just leave him to die out in the wild.

I got up from the bench while thanking my two large friends. I then told them to follow me back into the building.

As we made our way up the stairs and down the hallway, Wildfire clenched his fists, ready to defend anyone whom that Gallade attacked or insulted. Nacho simply stared at the floor, seemingly not wanting to make eye contact with our new recruit.

As we got close to the door, the atmosphere had already kind of felt different, as if somebody had summoned a horde Haunters from a house that's haunted, thus making the area feel much heavier with many negative emotions. I looked behind myself and could tell that Wildfire felt the difference in the air too, as he more tightly clenched his fists while crossing his arms. Nacho was still nervous, but now had a more jittery demeanor, as if something was heavily burdening his mind compared to before... I gestured them to follow me in as I gently opened the door, not wanting to disturb the situation more.

* * *

**(Narrator POV)**

Logan couldn't help but feel confused on why everyone still even batted an eye towards him. He had already made it clear he wasn't interested in joining their team. The only reason he even allowed that Gardevoir named Lilly to enter his mind was so that he could have her tell them who they were messing with...

But since he watered down everything she saw inside his head it seemed like it didn't really matter... It was a bad thing to have happen but even people he didn't like deserved to see the kinds of things he did.

He noticed Lilly and Allison quietly talking to each other. They would occasionally look at him before quickly turning their attention back to one another. They must have been talking shit, he could just tell from how they looked back at him.

_"At least he's similar to a special someone we knew before"_ Allison joked. Lilly nodded her head in agreement before giving her own opinion.

_"__**Indeed, though I must admit I do believe he'll be a challenging individual to gain trust from. He just doesn't look to thrilled with having us here."**_

Lucy had decided to speak up upon hearing what Lilly said.

"_**Well it's not like we want his trust anyway... We all heard what he said, about acting like he's enjoying his time with us, only to ditch us when we need him most."**_

Snowfield glanced at Logan with his eyes narrowed in though before pitching in on the conversation. "_**You know, I'm starting to think he's just misunderstood with his predicament… haven't you figured it out?"**_

Everyone looked at the Staraptor with confusion as he continued on.

_**"Think about it! Every Time we talk to him, he always acts as if we're out to get him. Don't you knuckleheads remember? You know, when he mentioned his hatred for being captured? The "prison" we call a poke ball? Ring any bells?"**_

Allison paused to interpret what Snowfield had said before getting the idea on where he was going. _"Maybe we should at least make him aware just how little he'll be inside his ball..."_

Everyone just looked at her and didn't say a word. This of course caught the attention of Logan, who while not hearing her couldn't help but imagine how bad things would get in the following weeks.

"_Well, despite the nurses suggestion, I think he's shown that he can withstand the ride home. If he can muscle his way through a gunshot wound, he'll definitely have the strength to rest at home."_

She looked at him and smiled warmly before continuing what she had to say. "_I know you don't think this will work out. But please, just give a chance."_

She approached him and bent down slightly to reach eye level, giving him another chance to show him her hopeful intentions for him.

"_I'm confident you'll be a great asset to our little family, you have a lot of potential you know."_ He snarled and gritted his teeth in anger, before violently jerking himself away.

"_Fine… be that way. But you'll learn to love it, even if it takes a while."_ was Allison's response before grabbing everyone's poke ball. One by one she began calling them back, and turned to Logan to call him back as well, taking a few seconds longer than usual for him to be sucked into the ball.

* * *

Everything was so empty inside the ball. It was like he was in Sleep paralysis, but floating in a small void while it was happening. Logan could think, but the idea of being trapped in a poke ball was driving him absolutely insane. Like any other sane human being who was so helpless inside a little ball no bigger than the size of you palm, He mentally begged for release, for someone to rid him of this never ending nightmare, to free him of his emotional and physical confinement.

As if someone heard his plea for help, a blinding light came from everywhere around him as he was consumed by it. He felt his movement coming back to him as he felt a wave of warm air engulf his body. It was like he was in Limbo this whole time, and was now being accepted into heaven for something he didn't understand.

In a flash he appeared inside a rather large interior as he came to his senses. An electric fireplace was turned on in the left corner in front of him, while carpet covered the entire floor area. He realized it was a rather comfortable looking living room before turning around, and seeing everyone sitting on the couch behind him.

Allison was closest to him as she broke the silence.

"_Welcome home my friend, Enjoy your rest?"_

Logan slowly sank to his knees and gripped his head in frustrated anger. He could feel his very ability to clearly think slowly slipping away from him, as he began to yell out inside his head in desperation, wishing he could be back at home in his own bed or something, instead of being trapped inside a Pokemon's body, and forced to live life as some strangers property.

"**NO! NO! NO! NO!"** was all he could repeat mentally as tears began to form in his eyes, leaving him in a state of emotional torture.

Everyone in front of him just looked at each other before Lilly began to read his thoughts again. She was getting glances of concern from Allison and Nacho, while everyone else just looked at Logan with slight confusion. As she heard what he had to say, she quickly closed his mind away from herself, before turning to Allison and explaining what she heard.

_**"If you thought he was unhappy at the center, then I must sadly inform you it was nothing compared to what he's saying now..."**_

Allison just lowered her head and sighed in disappointment before looking back up at Lilly and thanking her. She got off the couch and gestured everyone to follow her, hoping some time alone would let there new friend adjust better.

Everyone was lounging about near the large dinner table as they all argued over the gallade in the other room. Nacho was the first to begin speaking his mind over what he felt. "_**Listen here fella's, I think we can all agree that this new guy here... he's nothing but trouble."**_

Lucy quickly responded to Nacho with a disgusted snarl "_**Trouble? He's more than trouble! For all we know he could be planning a series of murders for us! He's too unstable to allow him here! All in favor of releasing him back int-"**_

"We are NOT, releasing him!" interrupted Allison quickly, standing out of her chair and hitting the table with both of her hands.

She let out a deep breath before sitting back down.

"_Look, I get he's a little off the rails okay. But let's be honest here, if any of you were kidnapped by Team Rocket, wouldn't you want to escape?"_

Everyone was silent as they listened to Allison.

"_Sure his methods of battle are highly dangerous, but you gotta hand it to him. He did what most of us wouldn't have the guts to do! He broke out from Team Rocket's grasp… and we all know what goes on with them and how sick and twisted they are! You've all seen the news reports!"_

Lilly stood up and relayed her thoughts to everyone. _"__**I feel that if we try hard enough, maybe we can try and relate to him"**_

**(Logan's POV)**

Great! I'm trapped here! Forced to live out the rest of my life as a Pokemon! Why me? Why did I deserve this? Was it something I did? Was it something I could have avoided? I can't take this! I can feel myself getting angry again… can't let that happen. My anger, my sadness, my hatred, they won't leave me alone! Why won't they just leave me the FUCK ALONE! I don't deserve this… I want to be free. I just want to get away from here. To go back to a more normal life!

**(General POV)**

"_**And how exactly can we do that Ms. Relatable?"**_ said Snowfield as he questioned Lilly's idea.

**"****_I don't think releasing him is a good idea either to be fair. But relating to someone like him, I feel... is highly unlikely."_**

"_**Well what about that bag he was carrying?"**_ Nacho added.

Everyone glanced at him with faces of curiosity, seemingly unaware of the simple idea that Nacho would present.

**"****_If that sack was carrying his personal belongings then we have ourselves some links to earning his favor, not a bad idea huh?"_**

Nacho gained a smug face as everyone looked at each other and thought about if. Wildfire sighed before pushing himself off the counter he had been leaning against.

**"Well seem's like the man's****_ gotta point. That backpack he was toting around on 'em has to have somethin' he holds near and dear to his heart. My only gripe is that he might be extremely possessive of the contents inside..."_**

Allison nodded at Wildfire before standing up from her chair and exiting the living room. " I'm gonna go see how our friend is holding up out there. Maybe even see if he'll agree with Nacho's little idea."

**(Logan's POV)**

My wound is pounding, but I feel no pain… I can feel something, an adrenaline rush. It's coursing through my body. it's causing me to feel even more anger than ever before. I'm becoming imbued with something, I feel like I'm about to go on some kind of violent rampage. What do they want from me! They know I'm not helping them towards their ridiculous goals! Why would they do this to me! I'm going to be free… and I won't stop until I've seen it through. I'm going to be free!

I WILL BE FREE GOD DAMMIT!

**(Narrator POV)**

As Allison entered the living room doorway from the kitchen, she honestly expected the rookie to have calmed down by now, maybe even catching some sleep to try and ease the stress a little. But instead she entered the room to let out a large gasp as she saw the situation go wrong right before her eyes. There, about no more than 10 feet away, was Logan surrounded by a dark red aura covering his entire body. The faint sounds of echoes and whispers reaching her ears as she stared at him. He earned a shiver of fear from her as he slowly looked up at her, bearing his teeth in aggression. His eyes filled with furious anger as he slowly stood up from his knees. He just stared at her, his glare seeming to look into her soul in a way, as if ready to commit harmful damage to everyone and everything around him. He convulsed and shook with fury as he began to slowly walk towards her, naturally causing Allison to react by backing up.

She knew what was happening, and she didn't even remotely like the implications of such a thing happening. But as he walked towards her she then felt another presence behind her. She had backed into Wildfire, only to have him step in front of her and assume a fighting position. Everyone but Lilly looked on from the kitchen as at their angle, they could all could see the conflict escalating. Lilly on the other hand went into the bathroom and closed the door, hoping no-one noticed her as her eyes began to glow, having recently hatched an idea that could be essential in the future if need be.

**"****_Now you listen here ya little runt! We've all been so kind as to let ya into our home, and yet this is how ya choose to repay us! I'm truly sorry it has to lead to this, but I'm tellin' ya that if you take one step closer…"_**

Wildfires hands and forearms went up in flames.

**"****_I'll give ya a much better reason to try and run."_**

All this did was make Logan's 'frustration' aura grow thicker and more vivid, before he finally made the first move and charged Wildfire.

"_**Suit yourself…"**_

Wildfire quickly dodged the attack and landed a kick on Logan's back, causing him to hit the floor and leave cracks during the hard impact. Wildfire smirked in victory and looked down at the seemingly defeated Gallade before turning to look at Allison, realizing that she seemed furious AT HIM for the fight.

"_YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST HELD HIM DOWN?! HE'S STILL RECOVERING FROM A GUNSHOT WOUND FOR ARCEUS' SAKE!"_

Wildfire looked at her with annoyance and spoke out to make her realize her situation. **"****_He coulda killed ya! You should be thankin' me right now!"_**

Allison quickly retaliated

"_Well Nacho's right here, have him hold him down! Don't just go and make our new addition hate us more!"_

As Wildfire continued arguing with Allison, Logan got back up and recovered from his roadhouse kick to the back, seeing the perfect opportunity to strike. Before anyone watching had time to react, He grabbed one of the wooden kitchen chairs near him and ran towards Wildfire, catching the tall fire/fighting type off guard. Wildfire turned around and let out a "_**Huh?!"**_ in surprise as Logan smashed the wooden chair upside Wildfires head, causing him to real back before getting on one knee and gripping his head in pain and shock as the blow was no doubt unexpected, and thus probably a bit more painful. But as he tried to recover, Logan went on the offensive and took advantage of the situation as he landed a shockingly powerful kick from his knee into Wildfire's stomach, causing the avian like Pokemon to launch through a window and land outside onto the dirt. Logan was about to jump over the window and continue the fight when Nacho joined the fight and quickly tackled the blade Pokemon to the floor, trying to subdue the angry boy as he tried to break free. Nacho squeezed tighter to make sure Logan wouldn't escape as he continued putting up a fight. Logan's frustration began to die down, as evident with his aura slowly but surely dissipating, showing that he was becoming fatigued from fighting and struggling.

_**"ENOUGH!"**_

Lilly's face was scrunched up as she came out of the bathroom, having seemingly been angered by the violent fighting that occurred in the house. She swiftly levitated out the front door of the house, disappearing for a second before reappearing alongside Wildfire, using heal pulse to rejuvenate him while he struggled to stand up.

"_**Where is he…"**_ is all he whispered.

_"__**Being held down by Nacho. Don't even think on continuing t-"**_

"_**I'm ain't gonna… I got somethin' entirely different in mind."**_ He said quietly before grabbing his own stomach and groaning in pain. "_**Arceus curse me…That's the strongest kick in the gut I've ever felt"**_

Nacho quickly got up with Logan still squirming to release himself from the super strength grip he possessed, looking at Allison for instructions.

_"Take him upstairs to the room we've prepared for him, make sure the door is guarded until we decide when it's safe to continue interactions with him."_

Nacho nodded before casually leaving the now messy kitchen and walking through the Living room. Lucy and Snowfield both just stared at Logan and Nacho from the kitchen as they went up the stairs, seemingly unaffected by the whole ordeal that just went down. Snowfield put his wing over his mouth as he spoke jokingly to the Lucario next to him.

"_**Jolly good show that one put there, now wasn't it."**_

Lucy chuckled while maintaining her look at the stairs.

**"****_I'm not one for supporting the bad guy… But man did he give Chicken Wing a run for his money! I mean did you see the power behind that kick?!"_**

Snowfield returned her chuckle with a sigh as he smiled.

**"****_You best believe it, just think what could happen if he learns his other moves… those blokes at the championship won't know what hit any of 'em!"_**

Nacho continued to hold Logan in a bear hug as he approached the door to there left at the end of the hallway.

"_**Looks like Lilly's sharing her room with you. Hehe, you should be feeling very grateful for her kindness."**_

Logan only groaned in annoyance as he was tired out from the all the struggling he did from being held in a cage of over sized muscles. Nacho opened the door with the only arm he wasn't using and looked around for another bed, but could only see the one Lilly slept in. He raised one eyebrow in confused intrigue before shaking his head and putting Logan down. Logan could only look around as he was too tired out to put up any more resistance.

The room was simple, a bed in one corner, a T.V that with no doubt was never used, a dresser with nothing inside it, except the T.V on top. It didn't seem like the room he was forced to stay in was ever used besides too sleep.

He started to think on how he wouldn't be able to even use it for that, as there was no electric fan to blow cool air on him, or even provide him white noise. Sure it was something that seemed ridiculous to some, but for him it's what allowed sleep to occur at least somewhat normally. He was kind of funny like that, but on nights when nightmares kicked in, then at least the fan could keep him comfortable, or in the worst case scenario prevent him from sweating, thus keeping his sheets dry.

Nacho looked at the Gallade and could see he was troubled by something. Thinking it was another episode of anger or defiance coming on, he decided to quickly step out of the room and close the door. He leaned up against it from outside, trying to make sure Logan would at least stay contained until someone came to talk to him… or release him, it didn't matter at this point what happened. He just wanted all this drama to stop, so that he could go back to relaxing on the sofa downstairs and spending time watching T.V. with Allison. He never really understood what some of the shows were about, he just watched them for simple entertainment.

Logan could only look on at the closed door as his wound began to emit pain again. It mainly stung instead of burned, and had an itchy sensation that made him want to remove the bandage and itch. But he knew better, and so just endured the annoyance, because if he was going to get out of here he would need to be in either good shape, or more close to death than when he first got shot…

And the second option was only a last resort.

He slowly moved himself in front of the bed before spreading his arms out, and planting himself face first into the mattress, moaning in annoyance before letting out a muffled scream in anger. He would have to bide his time for now, and he really didn't have the patience for it, even if he had no choice.

* * *

**(One hour later)**

Lilly and Luciona approached the room, finding Nacho sitting against the door while sleeping, snoring loudly as he usually did.

"_**You think you could move over big fella?"**_ Nacho jumped as a response to Lucy's words, seemingly having forgotten that he was still in front of the door.

**"****_Oh, yeah uh, sorry girls… should of stayed awake, huh."_** was all Nacho could say as he stretched and got out of the way.

_**"It's fine Nacho, your free to go now."**_

Nacho nodded as Lilly slowly opened the door, entering inside the room with Lucy. He decided to just go back down stairs and fall asleep on the sofa, feeling just as sleepy from when he first dozed Lilly closed the door, She and Lucy both raised their eyebrows at the scene in front of them.

Logan was rocking back and forth, all the blankets and pillows from her bed behind him as to provide cushioning. He was seemingly in a deep trance, as if trying to occupy his own mind. Lucy walked up to him and put her hand in front of his face. Upon doing that she jumped as he grabbed her wrist and gave her a look of displeasure before pushing her away.

"_**Arceus curse me you scared me there Hard-head!"**_

Logan just looked at her and huffed in annoyance before turning away from them and crossing his arms.

**"Then maybe you shouldn't disturb me when I'm in my own head."**

Lilly gave him a look of intrigue as she moved to sit next to him, not seeming to care if he was unwilling to speak to them. She sat down and looked at him with a smile appearing as she made sure he wasn't feeling more uncomfortable than he most certainly already was. _"__**So I guess you showed Wildfire your no slouch at fighting either."**_

"**Why are you even trying to talk to me?" **Lilly frowned upon hearing his response, but continued on with her conversation.

_"__**With all my honesty, I feel as though you don't want to intentionally harm more people than you already brought pain upon… am I wrong?"**_

"**And what makes you say that…?"**

_"__**Would you believe me if I said I witnessed the fight with Wildfire through your eyes?" **_Logan's eyes widened before gaining more angry, his face still facing the floor as he spoke.

"**Why the Fuck would you do that?! You think you can just enter invade my privacy whenever you want?!" **Lilly began to feel uneasy from the sudden change in mood as she quickly tried to explain herself.

_"__**I-I only did it to help y-" **_Logan stood up and pointed a finger at her in anger.

"**I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR INTENTIONS! STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!" **He sat back down and quickly crossed his arms as Lucy stepped in on the heated conversation.

"_**She was only trying to help you kn-."**_

"**I don't want anyone's hospitality… I just want to get away from here."**

"_**And where would you be if you left?"**_

"**Free, that's where."**

Everyone was silent for what seemed like forever until something caught the attention of Logan's hearing. A familiar sound of quiet sobbing met his ears, and forced him to turn his head to the source of it. Sitting beside him was Lilly, who was trying to hold it back but was failing as tears appeared on her cheeks. She had her arms wrapped around herself as she still sat on the bed, appearing to be trying to comfort herself.

_"__**I… I just want this all too stop. I just want you to feel like you belong here, with us. But you won't accept us… you hate us."**_

She bent over a bit more and placed her face in her hands, quietly sobbing to herself.

Logan looked at her and cringed. She was obviously sensitive in her emotions, and to him that was a huge sign of weakness.

Emotions to him were a very dangerous thing to influence his mind. He knew that from experience and examination of basically every person on planet earth. Emotions were like the medicine doctors prescribe to you, they serve their purpose but the numerous side effects defeat the purpose.

He remained still as a statue as she wept, choosing to ignore her crying. He couldn't let himself be influenced by others feelings.

Lucy approached Lilly and gave her a hug, comforting the psychic/fairy type.

_**"It's okay Lilly... Don't take this all to heart. This will all blow over..."**_ She promised. The blue jackal then gave Logan the meanest stink eye he'd ever seen. **_"I hope you come to realize the sacrifices we all made just to make room for you here."_**

Logan gave Lucy an even more intimidating glare before firing back in protest.

**"Screw all of you and those sacrifices that you all made..."**

Lucy got up and pointed at Logan, her other paw glowing in a show of force.

_**"You better watch it punk! I've got plenty more experience beating jerks like you to a pulp."**_

This of course, didn't faze him one bit.

**"And I got zero shits to give!"**

Lucy's eyes began to glow a bright blue as she summoned a long glowing bone staff. She twirled it in the air before pointing it directly in his face. He reeled back a little, a sweat drop appearing on the side of his forehead.

_**"I suggest you **_**_apologize to her for acting so heartless... if you know what's good for you."_**

Logan looked around the room to see if they're was anything he could use to defend himself. There wasn't anything of use... but there was a window. He slowly moved at an angle to where if she hit him he would be sent through it. He knew if he could piss her off more then she'd most definitely blindly hit him.

His makeshift plan was to be set in motion...

**"Who said I was acting?"**

Lucy's face scrunched up. She had just about had enough of this jerk, and she was going to put him in his place.

_**"Say your sorry, I'm only gonna tell you once."**_

**"Oh? I see we have a tough little girl here... Why don't you show me what that over sized pleasure tool can do BITCH!"**

Lucy's snout snarled in anger as she rushed forth and bashed him the side of the chest. Lilly jumped in shock from Lucy's attack. The window in her room shattering from Logan flying outside and impacting the ground below.

_**"LUCY! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"**_

_**"THE PUNK DESERVED IT!"**_

Logan had been lying on his back, the pain from the impact not nearly as bad as he originally planned. His higher pain tolerance from becoming a Pokemon kicking in and giving him the leg up he needed as his wound throbbed under his bandage. He staggered himself back onto his feet before looking around. He was outside, and a big toothy smile appeared on his face as he looked up at the window.

**"SEE YOU NEVER BITCHES! I'M OUTTA HERE!" **He thought in excitement. Without hesitation he bolted down the dirt road. Lucy and Lilly both felt dread go down their spines as they hurried over to the window.

_**"Oh no... Master's gonna have our heads for this."**_ Lucy stammered. She could just see Allison scolding them both beyond belief...

_**"Go get everyone! We have to help him before he gets killed!"**_

_**"After everything we just went through with him?! Are you out of you're mi-"**_

_**"JUST DO IT!"**_


	5. Brutal Reality Check

Logan had been running at full speed for what felt like forever. He was still following the dirt path, and had gotten far enough to where he couldn't see the house anymore. He knew they'd be coming for him, and for he figured that Allison chick would probably have a car to help catch up to him. He also took into account that everyone she had on her team was bipedal with the exception of that Staraptor, who would no doubt provide they eyes in the sky. He knew they WOULD catch up to him if he didn't hide.

He quickly ran into the forest, his stumpy feet crushing the forest floor's leaves and jumping over small inclines, hills and fallen trees. He was almost in the clear, he was sure of it. He could feel his heart pounding, his adrenaline reaching new heights as he seeked cover from anyone's vision.

* * *

There was the sound of many paws hitting the ground as various silhouettes ran through the forest. Fresh meat was within sniffing range, and from what some of the pack could guess from the smell, their target was wounded. The small metallic stench of blood filled their nostrils. There was going to be a feast tonight.

* * *

Logan was beginning to finally lose his breath. His lungs were burning and his muscles ached all over, but he couldn't slow down now, his freedom was just on the horizon. He heard a car engine in the distance and subconsciously started running even faster, afraid of the consequences if he was recaptured by those crazy assholes.

He began to panic as he realized how little thought out his escape really was. The forest that surrounded him was dense with foliage, which made things difficult to see in the distance. He heard a bunch of doors slam from the vehicle in question and knew it was the group looking for him.

Without fully thinking things through he dived into a nearby crevice, the tall patches of grass hopefully being able to cover him as he then slathered dirt all over him in desperate hopes of making himself camouflaged. He went prone on his stomach as he then grabbed numerous leaves and buried himself in a mound of them, making sure that the white skin was covered more than the green sections. He heard footsteps draw close and became still, fear and anger taking over him as he remained quiet, taking the smallest breaths he could to make it harder for them to hear him.

_**"Come on! I think I saw him goin' this way!" **_Wildfire yelled. Logan saw him waving his arm towards the group as they were catching up. The speed at which all of them ran was incredible, with the exception of Allison, who was nowhere to be seen. He caught a glimpse in the top corner of his vision of Snowfield, who was flying overhead. He hoped the grass was providing sufficient cover from the bird's view, and from what it looked like it was indeed working, as Snowfield started to fly away.

_**"HEY! KID! COME ON OUT! IT'S DANGEROUS HERE!" **_Nacho shouted. The group was spread out in search of him, and they looked to be spreading farther and farther from each other to cover more ground.

* * *

The faint smell of blood was getting stronger. The pack was getting close, they could sense it. The fur on everyone's back stood up in sheer excitement. Food was within close proximity.

But what's this? A group of trained Pokemon? Where was the human that accompanied them? They look very familiar... best to hunker down and wait for them to pass. No use in fighting more powerful foes...

It meant a meal would be scared away.

* * *

Everyone was in dying in worry. They knew how deadly it was to be out here alone. Those crazy vicious packs of Mightyena and Houndoom were nothing to take lightly. The various people and Pokemon slaughtered by them for getting lost could attest to that.

Lilly looked to be the most affected by the escape attempt. She could sense Logan in the area, but she knew he was no fool. He had probably hidden himself well in order to avoid detection, and Lucy was having a hard time noticing any signs of an aura nearby.

_**"Please come out! We're sorry for upsetting you! Just please come out!"**_ She transmitted, hoping her telepathy would reach him. She could feel his life force, but she knew if she approached him he would fight back. They needed to subdue him, not beat him to submission. That was the last thing they needed was to give him further justification for any potential acts of violence.

_**"Lucy's sorry for hitting you like that! She wasn't thinking about the consequences when she should have!"**_

No response...

_**"Please Logan! For crying out loud you can't be out here! It's dangerous!"**_

Still nothing... Oh, What was she thinking. Of course he wouldn't respond! He was trying to escape them, not play hide and seek. He wasn't going to reveal himself even if it took them days to find him.

She was upset by this, her eyes tearing up as she couldn't understand why he would do this. He would have had it so good too! She'd seen other Pokemon rebel against their trainers, but to act so violently and run away afterwards?

Maybe it was for the best he'd gotten away... With the exception of her, everyone on both ends would probably be happier that way.

* * *

Logan could see the group slowly fading away into the distance. The looks of despair and anger they had plastered to there faces only served to fuel how triumphant he felt. He'd successfully gotten away, and he couldn't be captured by anyone since technically he was still Allison's Pokemon. No poke ball would work against him, they would just harmlessly bounce off. How much better could things get!

He waited until everyone couldn't be heard or seen before he got back up. He realized he had been holding his breath and exhaled. He felt so good for what he did.

**"YEEEAAAHHH! I'M FREE BITCHES!"** He silently screamed out, his voice a loud and sickly whisper. He was ecstatic over his escape. He raised his arms in the air in triumph while screaming in victory, nothing could get in his way n-

_**"MIGHTYENA!"**_

A black and grey streak of fur quickly filled his vision as he felt himself hit the ground hard. There was an impact that felt like a speeding car had hit him full on.

What the hell just happened!

Logan's vision was blurry as he noticed more grey and black wolf like Pokemon fill his vision. He could see that he was surrounded from all sides. As his vision cleared, he could see just how screwed he truly was.

**"So this is how I'm going out... in the middle of a forest, about to be mauled by a pack of rabid Mightyena... Glorious... Absolutely fucking glorious."**

Logan was trembling in fear, knowing full well that his miserable life was about to painfully and violently come to an end...

Yet, he didn't feel like he had much too live for, and it wasn't like anyone was going to miss him. He would die forgotten, and most likely never be found.

The various Mightyena that surrounded him were moving in a circle, ready to pounce at any given moment. There eyes were centered directly on there prey, ready to feast on everything Logan's body would offer.

They started to slowly move closer, as if toying with him. Logan got on his knees and looked down at the ground, the horn in his chest turning a crystalline texture. It was at this moment where he started to suddenly feel a surge of energy rush through him. A small tightening feeling overwhelmed his muscle as they started to tense up. He was thinking those scary angry thoughts that drove him insane.

The Bloodshed...

The Carnage...

The Suffering...

The Hatred...

Bloody redness filled his vision, his thoughts overwhelmed with a sudden desire to survive. He was starting to feel afraid of what the hell was happening to him, but that fear was suddenly pushed out by anger.

He wasn't going to die here... he had a life to live. If his grandpa could kill a bunch of other trained soldiers with nothing but a pistol, then he could kill a bunch of wild savage wolfs with his superior body.

The wild pack of Mightyena started to move closer once he got back up. They were going to pounce any second, and Logan wouldn't let that be the end of him.

The first wolf Pokemon jumped, his mouth opened wide as he tried to get a ferocious bite. This was met with a sudden response as the Gallade suddenly punched it in neck, causing it land a few feet away and lie limp. It looked as though Logan had hit it hard enough to cause serious damage, as it coughed up small amounts of blood.

That was it, the rest of the pack all ran towards him. He stood his ground and clenched his fists. Upon seeing the closest Mightyena, he reacted faster than he ever thought he could, kicking it in the side and earning a yelp as the wild wolf jerked back in pain. Another one came up from behind and managed to land a bite on the back of Logan's left leg, causing him to scream in pain before using his left bladed elbow to jab at it. Another, much more agonizing yelp was heard as he felt a disgusting amount of flesh around the blade. When he pulled forward he noticed blood drenching the pointed half.

More Mightyena joined the fray as they all desperately tried to tear him apart. One jumped really high as ice formed around it's paws. The powerful attack landed on Logan's chest, causing the boy turned Pokemon to skid across the forest floor before stopping and getting on his knees.

His leg throbbed with intense pain, and there was various claw marks that covered his body. He was slowly beginning to tire out, his breathing becoming heavier and heavier as he tried to catch his breath. But the situation wouldn't allow for it. He'd have to fight until every last one of them was either dead or running away.

**"Alright... round 2 it is..." **He said in his thoughts.

The pack of Mightyena all began rushing him at breakneck speed. They were barking and howling in anger as they closed in for the kill, there mouths snarled in a feral show of ferocity. Logan could only react by putting his hands him in a fighting stance, the situation quickly becoming more hopeless as more of them just kept coming.

As soon as the first one jumped, the rest of them also pounced. One had gotten around and landed on his back, biting down on his shoulder to try and incapacitate him from reacting. He jerked and fought every inch of his body, violently fighting to get them all off him.

**"I'm not gonna be some puppies chew toy!"**

His rage on increased as he grabbed the Mightyena on his back and flipped it over him, causing the rest to back off in fear of being struck by one of their own. The sound of bones breaking was heard as Logan smashed the wolf neck first into the ground, killing in instantly.

He was covered in blood, and during the scuffle his bandage had fallen off. His stitched up wound was visible for all too see. His whole body felt like it was on fire, screaming for him to stop and recover. His injuries were severe as various bites and claw marks leaked warm crimson liquid.

This was it... he was dead. There was nothing he could do to stop it. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, sickly groans and moans escaping his mouth in incredible pain.

A sudden trail of flames suddenly shout out from the woods, right in the nick of time. The Mightyena that surrounded him all turning there attention towards the source.

Wildfire's arms and legs were ablaze as he struck a fighting pose. _**"I've been waitin' for some live target practice... Lilly! Now!"**_

Lilly appeared seemingly out of nowhere as she floated several feet of the ground, her dress wavering gently in the wind. Her eyes we're glowing a pure vivid hot pink as her horn lit up the entire area. She lifted her hand up, suddenly picking up three mightyena and tossing them violently out of the way.

A large ball of energy suddenly shot out from a nearby treeline before suddenly exploding, causing a few more mightyena to rise up from the ground and forcibly impact various surfaces roughly several meters away.

_**"Glad I made it in time!" **_Lucy yelled out.

The entire pack of mightyena ran towards the opposite treeline, hoping to escape the carnage as too many we're already lost over this one meal... They'd have to look elsewhere for food.

_**"Where's the kid at?!" **_Wildfire panicked.

Lilly quickly and gracefully flew around, looking for the Gallade who tired to run away. It didn't take long for notice a dark trail of blood that led into the woods.

_**"Oh no... NoNoNoNoNo."**_

Her Irises shrunk in horror as she feared the worst. She rushed to follow the trail, hoping that Logan hadn't been dragged away to a gruesome and terrifying death. She frantically weaved around trees as she panicked. She couldn't have another death happen after what happened to-

She caught site of Logan, who was slumped over against a large tree. His body was almost completely covered in blood as his back rested against the tree, his head drooped down weakly.

She could sense how close to death he was. She teleported over to him, checking to see where damage was done. She could see various deep cuts and bite wounds, and his older bullet wound had opened back up, the stitches hanging on one side fruitlessly. The amount blood on the ground was immense...

and yet he somehow managed to gather the will to move away from his original location, more than 30 feet away.

Everyone else had caught up to her as they all got a good look at Logan... Nacho instantly put a hand up as he turned away, unable to handle to gruesome sight before him.

_**"Arceus no... not him too..." **_Wildfire solemnly stated.

Lucy was horrified at that state Logan was in. She let her anger get the best of her, and in doing so she managed to not only let him escape, but let himself get killed in the process. She had tears in her eyes... even though he a very recent edition was a complete and utter jerk, he was still part of the family they had...

Allison came running in from the treeline, rushing to where everyone was gathered. "Hey! What happened out here?! I came running after I heard fighting and-"

She immediately gasped upon seeing Logan against the tree. She couldn't believe what she was seeing...

She didn't want to believe it.

Lilly's eyes started to flood, her face scrunching up as she did what she could to keep him alive. She was constantly using heal pulse to keep his vitals going, but it only seemed to prolong the inevitable.

_**"PleasePleasePleasePlease... Don't die... Don't die..."**_

_"Lilly! Keep using heal pulse, I've got some Ether restores in the Van so just keep doing it! Nacho, carry him! Everyone else make sure those bastard Mightyena don't come back to finish him off! Putting him in his ball won't save him in this condition so let's go!_

* * *

Everything sounded to far away... it was as if he was underwater. He kept feeling something pulsing through him, giving short reliefs from the extreme soul crushing pain he felt.

_They found him, they fucking found him..._

It was as if every time he closed his eyes, he was time traveling. His vision was almost black, and he could only make out where he was by the muffled sounds of an engine.

**_"Hu... up... H... doe... have m... -ime l-ft" _**A familiar but distant voice echoed in his head. It was cutting in and out, as if time was skipping every few seconds for him.

He could faintly feel someone holding his head, as if trying to comfort him.

His vision suddenly lost it's last vestiges of sight, now nothing but pitch black darkness. This was it, his final moments of life.

Did he have regrets?

...

...

...

Nope, not one. No one would remember him so why would he need to feel any regret... it's not like his actions meant anything to anyone.

He felt a much stronger sensation jerk through his body, bringing his vision out of it's blackened state and into the light. He could now clearly see where he was. Lilly was holding his head in her lap, her left hand covering his forehead while she seemingly fought to keep him alive. He could see various buildings flying by through the Vans windows. The engine roaring as Allison focused on speeding down to what he figured was the Pokemon center.

No one seemed to notice his moment of consciousness as they panicked. Nacho and Lucy were going back and forth in a heated argument over what happened while Wildfire sat up front with Allison, waving various people and cars out of the way.

A large and sudden jolt of pain surged through him as his whole body. It felt like his body had caught fire from within. That was when his vision started going black again, his body also starting to feel numb.

He felt a different kind of warmth, and suddenly felt tired like he hadn't slept in ages. He started to close his eyes, the pain slowly fading away as he slowly passed into darkness.

...

He couldn't feel anything, the sensations of anything touching his body leaving him. It was as if he was floating...

...

The muffled sounds from before faded away, with not even the faintest sound or echo reaching him.

...

Where was he...

...

What's that light?

...

Where did it lead?

...

_**"Now's not your time Trooper... Go... You have a life to live." **_Said a highly familiar voice.

The darkness from before suddenly shifted to a blinding white light as Logan quickly fell unconscious again.

* * *

_*Beep*... *Beep*... *Beep*..._

Was that a heart monitor?

_*Beep*... *Beep*... *Beep*_

Yup, that's a heart monitor. He was in the hospital again.

He slowly opened his eyes. He could see Lilly sitting right next to him, dried tears visible on her face. He looked down at himself, and noticed that half of his entire body was covered in loose bandages. He tried sitting up, but Lilly panicked and pressed her hand down on his forehead.

_**"You musn't... you need to rest."**_

Logan only glared at her as a reaction. His first thought was to tell her to get her crumby hand off him, but he remained dead silent.

He instead opted to sit up despite the physical resistance she put up. He pushed against her strength, which admittedly was very weak. That was when he felt some kind of force hold him down without much effort.

_**"You can't push yourself like that... The nurse said you need to rest aft-"**_

**"OH WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP! I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE STATE I'M IN!"**

Lilly jumped in surprise, her hold on him suddenly releasing. He sat up and looked around before realizing the weight of his situation.

Escape almost got him killed... Which meant he was basically trapped. There was no real good way to get away from them. He felt like his situation was hopeless. He had lost his freedom. He was stuck here... forever. His life as he wanted it to be would never become a reality.

He lowered his head down, shading away his eyes from everyone and anyone who saw them. There was nothing he could do to change his outcome.

Lilly put her hand on his lap, hoping to give him some kind of comfort after what had happened.

_**"Do not worry... your safe now."**_

This was slowly met with tears falling onto the blankets below. His solemn expression and slightly hunched over posture remained the same. Lilly could sense an overwhelming depression coming from him.

The door suddenly swung open as Allison walked in, followed by the rest of the team. They all got near the bed with the exception of Lucy, who leaned against the back wall and kept her head down.

_**"Thank Arceus, he's awake!" **_Nacho stated.

Wildfire knelt down on the other side of the hospital bed, resting on of his arms on the edge. _**"We thought you was a goner kid... You made us all worried sick."**_

But no reply came from the Gallade, who remained in the same position with his head still lowered.

_**"Ay, Lighten up there friend... Lilly's been here since you've arrived. She hasn't left your side for over a week."**_

Still no reply...

Allison looked over to Lilly before returning her gaze to Logan. She knew he would be upset over all of this... but from she had seen, he ALWAYS spoke up when anything he didn't like came his way. Seeing him remain silent like this wasn't normal for him, even she could tell.

_"Hey, what's wrong? Everyone came by to see you... why won't you speak to us."_

...

**"You should have left me to die..."**

...

Everyone's eyes widened. They weren't expecting that kind of response. They all could hear the depressed anguish in his mental voice... it was almost to much for them to bare.

Nobody said a word, as none could think of something to say...

It would remain like this throughout the entire stay at the Pokemon Center...

* * *

Allison pulled the van up towards the entrance of the Center. Everyone was riding in with her, since she decided to not us there poke balls. Mainly because she knew at this point it wouldn't be smart to bring Logan home in one... his hatred for being in one was already well established. No need to make him suffer after the things he fought through.

When everyone exited, Lilly stayed behind. Wildfire looked back and gave her a look of concern, but she just closed her eyes and smiled at him. He smiled back before giving her a thumbs up, turning around to walk through the sliding doors.

Lilly let out a deep sigh. She could already feel the heavy emotions coming from Logan... and she wasn't even in the building with them. As Lilly waited in the Van, She started to ponder how she would get through to him, to contact his happier side. Everyone had a better side to him, it was one of the many ways her species earned their benevolent reputation... Reaching through to anyone they cared for.

She could tell from last time that he was broken. He wanted to escape so badly, only for death to come and almost take him away them... to take him away from her.

She chose to see the good in him... her future sight had allowed it to be an effortless task. The hard part was bringing that good out of him, and calling it hard was an understatement.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Wildfire, who was walking alongside everyone else.

But when she saw Logan... her stomach sank.

He looked sickly. His already lean muscles were less defined while the normally cream white skin on his body had changed to more of a lighter shade of a sickly grey. His head was still lowered, the shade blocking out his eyes while his cheeks appeared slightly slightly sunken in. But the most worrying sight for her was his chest spike.

It was by far the part of him most affected. It had a grotesque, scab-like appearance to it. Visible cracks could be seen covering it's surface, and looked to have had tiny traces of dried blood near the base. This was a dead give away that he was under extreme mental pain. She could sense his unending will to just end it all. It almost freaked her out how much he had changed in the time since he was attacked by the Mightyena.

He was broken, both mentally and physically. But not the kind of broken someone could reshape in their image. It was the kind that led to people and Pokemon doing things to themselves that she didn't even want to imagine... the kind that left tombstones in it's wake.

When the van doors slid open, Nacho and Lucy were the first to climb in. Wildfire and Allison followed suit when taking their seats up front. Snowfield was flying overhead, having never needed to ride in the van since he could fly faster than it could drive legally.

Logan hesitated for a while, standing still for a while with the side door still open. There was various people and pokemon walking past him, all of who'm gave him raised eyebrows or worried glances.

He could just walk away right now... but he was probably going to be attacked again. At this point he didn't know if the cities were better or worse when it came to painful dangers. As he stood there he felt Lilly grab his arm and gently pull him in. He tripped and grabbed onto the seat, only to slide and fall onto the floor of the vehicle.

If she could pull him that easily, there was definitely something wrong with him. He got up, albeit with a noticeable grunt, before taking a seat. He didn't bother to put his seat belt on as he sat with his head still solemnly lowered.

Lilly looked to Allison, who met her worried stare with her own solemn nod. The trainer put the keys in the ignition and twisted them, the van's engine coming to life as they pulled away from the Pokemon center.

Everyone was looking towards Logan, having taken notice of how weak he looked. But nobody said much, feeling as though it would only serve to make things worse.

Lilly could feel that cage in his chest lock tighter around his heart. He was bottling up his emotions, she could tell he was.

This scared her even further... No one should have to bottle those up. Especially when it was something that led to numerous cases of her kind dying. Doesn't he know what kind of damage he was doing to himself by doing that?

_**"H-Hey... A-Are you well my friend? It seems as though something foul has stricken you..."**_

No response...

_**"Won't you speak to me? I've made sure nobody can here us."**_

Nothing...

**"Please... tell me what is the matter."**

Tears started to form as they traveled down his cheeks, just like in the hospital. He was like a statue, one that could cry but never really move. The negative emotions in the van dizzying Lilly as she struggled to maintain her emotional composure.

Lilly used her psychic powers to unbuckle her seat belt before gently wrapping her arms around Logan. She placed her head near his own as she seeked to provide some comfort to the severely depressed Gallade next to her...

Her embrace only made him tense up, his discomfort reaching an all time high. But he didn't do anything afterwards, his head still lowered while his tears fell onto his lap.

* * *

After everyone had gotten home, Allison had waited for Logan to head upstairs before breaking the news to Lilly about why he looked the way he was...

It quickly served to be the kind of bad news Lilly feared. She was told that Logan had not been eating for a few days, and that he only drank fluids sparingly. Allison then told her that she was seriously contemplating giving up the entire Championship, as the rules stated that if she let him go they wouldn't be able to enter.

But Lilly had another idea. She wasn't going to let Logan's warped reality get the best of himself or them. She Knew once he won his first battle he'd enjoy himself more... So she pitched the idea.

_**"How about this... Once we win the League, he can choose whether he wants to be free. He'll hopefully be far stronger by then, so it is something you should seriously consider, Master."**_

_"And if he refuses that deal Lilly... then what? We can't keep him hear against his will, he'll die. We have no choice but to let him go if he keeps this up."_

Lilly knew Allison was right. She'd have to find a way to make him want to stay... Though with the state he was in it was clear that the incentive would have to be pretty large.

Let's hope he was able to see reason with her idea... it was all she had to convince him to stay, even if it was temporary.

* * *

It was currently late in the evening. Logan was sitting on Lilly's bed, his knees bent up to his chest as held them both with his hands. He had learned the hard way that escaping here was all but impossible.

At first his anger got the best of him, which was why those threats during the first visit to the center were made to Allison and her crew. He knew he said they were promises... but this world was so much more complicated than he could probably fully comprehend right now. Only god knew what kind of systems were in place in the world for wannabe escapists like himself, and that wasn't the only thing that thwarted his ideas.

He was scared... scared to both admit that he didn't actually have the balls to do them, and afraid to actually pull them off. Especially after the whole fiasco with that pack of Mightyena in the woods. There was just so many of them, and the injuries he sustained were admittedly much more painful than he would have thought.

But hearing his grandfather call him his nickname, and tell him he's got a life to live? Now that's what broke the balance for him. It was his only loving family member for crying out loud! He couldn't go against the wishes of his only real deceased loved one, and it left him at a point in his life where he didn't know what to do...

If he killed himself, he would be disobeying his Grandfather's wish to him. But then he would be trapped here with them... and that Gardevoir who kind of creeps him out a little.

The old man had to know something about what the future lay in store for him... why else would he tell his only grandson it wasn't his time yet? Maybe there was a happy ending to this all.

No... No that couldn't be it. He wouldn't be here already if there was a happy ending. He'd be dead, because that's really the only happy place he could be... away from this crappy place.

The door nob to Lilly's room turned, snapping Logan out of his train of thought... not that it would've been on track for much longer anyway. Allison and Lilly stepped into the room, with Allison holding a gentle smile on her face. They both carefully moved to the side of the bed he was sitting on, and stood next to him.

_"I see now that you're unable to cope with being here with us..."_

This admittance immediately earned Logan's attention, who slowly but surely raised his head to look up at the very women who captured him.

_"I have a proposition for you... one you'll hopefully see as a good thing."_

Allison grabbed out a Poke ball and held it up to him. He looked at with an "oh" expression before looking back up at her.

_"Help us enter the championship, and after it's over you're free to go... I'll keep your poke ball safe so that no one else can capture you. Sound like a deal?"_

Logan was flabbergasted at her offer. Of course he was going to accept it! He knew it would mean he may have to fight... but that was something to worry about down the line. He hoped "enter the championship" only meant taking up the sixth spot to ensure they enter... or at least that was the idea that went through his head.

He did hesitate though... he knew they're was something in between the lines he wasn't reading, but at this point any chance at freedom was worth it.

He looked back up and at her and smiled a little, nodding his head in confirmation. This earned a big beaming smile from Lilly, which Logan easily saw...

...

...

...

Maybe the old man was right... maybe there was a hidden happy ending.

But Logan would just have to wait and see.


	6. The Relations Game

It had been over two weeks since Logan arrived back from his second run in with the Pokemon center. Most of his wounds had miraculously healed with the help of Lilly's heal pulse... but the bullet wound still had a little more time to go.

Despite all the things Lilly did to help him feel more comfortable around there... he still despised them. He only felt obligated to help keep his end of the bargain, not be a nice guy to them. For all he cared they could stop talking to him and he wouldn't care in the slightest.

**(Logan's POV)**

I couldn't sleep… my brain was telling me to close my eyes, but my body was straining to stay awake. I just sat there, my eyelids heavy from no rest. It was that god damn wound in my abdomen, it had that extremely itchy feeling that also burned. It was as if my own body was playing saboteur against me and denying me something ever so vital to for me to fall asleep, that being my comfort. I looked out the window near me to see the moon covering the landscape in its dim light.

It was at that point when I heard the doorknob turn, snapping me out of my little trance. I turned around to find Lilly opening the door. She exhibited a noticeably more shy demeanor than before. I raised an eyebrow as she continued to stare at me, not feeling too comfortable with her gaze focused on me like it was.

**"The hell do you want..." **

She slightly jumped before lowering her head and shaking it, as if snapping out of a momentary lapse in thought.

_**"Just checking on you before I head to sleep."**_

She stood there nervously for a bit before gracefully making her way over to the other side of the bed and climbing under the covers, facing away from me as she began to enter a deep sleep. I shrugged to myself and decided to just go with the flow, feeling everything from tonight would be forgotten by tomorrow. I stood up and opened the nearby window in the intent of letting cool air in, and in doing so I paused…

Even though she just fell asleep, I could make my escape right now! I could run from here and they would never find me… all I had to do before I ran is grab that god forsaken poke ball from Allison and smash it!

But then those memories came flooding back... nevermind, it wasn't worth the hastle.

* * *

**(Lilly's POV)**

I was sleeping rather peacefully that night. I had to admit it felt rather comfortable having someone there next to me when I slept… even if it was someone who seemed a little mentally disturbed. As I continued to sleep, I started to feel movement where Logan slept. As I slowly began to awaken, I turned around and gave witness to him twisting and turning. His eyes were clenched, and I could see the sweat pouring from his forehead.

He was having a nightmare… I scooted over and began to shake him on the shoulder, hoping he would wake up. After about 3 minutes or so of continuously shaking him with increasing strength, he finally awoke. He jumped up from laying down and was breathing very heavily, his irises shrunken from the whole ordeal in his sleep. He looked over at me. I swear he could see the worry in my face as his posture seemed to loosen up from being so tense.

"**Why did you wake me?"** was all he asked, a sense of annoyance present in his mental voice.

I looked at him with a straight face as I figured he would at least thank me for waking him up

**_"You were having a night terror, were you not?" _**I asked in a dull tone.

"**How would you know? Did you go snooping into my head?"** He came off as being highly accusatory with his response, giving me an angry glare in the process.

_**"I saw you flipping around drenched in sweat, as if being attacked by something in your sleep."**_

He quickly went from a somewhat intimidating demeanor to a more worried one, facing down at the bed. I wondered what he dreamed about, and was about to ask when I heard another voice coming from his head. As he stared down at the bed, I could hear a young human boy's voice coming from his thoughts. The boy was crying, and screaming for someone to stop. My stomach sank as I continued to listen. An older man was heard hollering very aggressively before I heard the gut wrenching sound of a child being beaten, followed by a women telling the man to stop.

**_"Who is that young boy I hear in your mind?"_**

He glared at me again with annoyance as his first response, before laying on his back again and turning to face the other direction.

**"None of your damn business…"**

_**"Would you care to talk a-"**_

**"No…"**

I could tell he felt uncomfortable over what I asked, and backed off from continuing the conversation. He already proved himself to be an extremely cold case as far as my kind was concerned. I figured that whatever I heard in his mind was sensitive info, and so I just left it alone, as to not make him upset.

**_"Will you be okay my dear friend?_" **I asked, heavily concerned for him. He didn't reply, so I continued. _**"You should at least tell me what's wrong."**_

That instantly got his undivided attention. He slowly sat himself up again, making me see that I had aggravated him.

"**One, Don't call me your friend, because I'm far from it. Two, I didn't ask to be involved with you guys, you chose me. And Three, I have no reason to tell you anything about me!" **Those last words echoed more than usual in my head, indicating the seriousness and agitation in his thoughts.

_**"Well then why haven't you tried running already?" **_I retorted.

**"Trust me... at some point I plan too." **He responded back.

There was an awkward silence in the room followed by him laying back down.

_**"I'm sorry for waking you..."**_

But alas, All I got was from him was more silence. I just sat there waiting for a response for five or so minutes before throwing in the towel and letting out a deep breath, slightly saddened at the failure of my attempts. I decided to move on and to just rest up for tomorrow, hoping it would be an easy day.

* * *

It was a slow start to an otherwise uneventful day, with Logan being the first one to rise. He was tired, but it was nothing a cup of coffee couldn't fix. He had risen from the bed early, hand clutching his bandaged wound. Lilly was still asleep, which made it easier for him to sneak his way out the door, He took baby steps so he could pass by Lucy and Snowfields room without waking them. He didn't worry about Wildfire as his room was located to the left of Lilly's and thus was the opposite direction from where Logan was going. He crept his way down the stairs where he saw Allison and Nacho sleeping on the living room furniture. Nacho could be heard snoring loudly which made it much easier for Logan to pass by quietly. It didn't help that he was moving like an old nutcracker, as the stiff position kept his patched up injury from becoming too painful.

As he entered the kitchen, the marks of his fight with Wildfire from a couple weeks back became much more apparent. There was a destroyed chair in the corner next to a large garbage can, and a small cave in on the floor was visible where Logan had face planted from Wildfire's kick. The window near the sink was also completely smashed. But he ignored it, seeing that the large fire type hadn't already tried to kill him, or at least beat him to a pulp.

Logan looked around the kitchen in search of the coffee maker. He looked on all the counters, the top of the rather large refrigerator, and even the top and bottom cupboards. After searching for about 5 minutes, he found that they didn't own one, much to his chagrin. As he looked around for anything that had caffeine, like a soda pop or energy drink, he caught a glimpse of something at the opposite end of the kitchen.

There on another counter top and still covered in some dirt was his old backpack. The gold visor from the Master Chief's helmet on the front gave it away. Logan's eyes widened a little at the remembrance of having brought his belongings with him, games and laptop included.

He let out a victorious "**YES!"** in his mind before gently making his way over the backpack and seeing what was inside it. Upon opening it he was ecstatic to find all of his things in one piece. The only thing he didn't find was his grandfather's pistol, which he figured was hidden away until he could be entrusted to have it back again.

As Logan siphoned threw the backpack he then pulled out his Laptop and game controller, hoping to finally relax a little bit from all the crazy things that had been going on. He looked around for a power outlet to plug his charger into, wanting to plug in his laptop to keep it from dying and ruining his game time. As he looked around, he found an outlet behind the counter, and plugged in the charger before putting the large jack on the other end into his laptop. After also plugging in his controller, he pressed the on button and watched the slim computer boot to life. The symbol of Microsoft windows appeared on the screen before asking him to insert his password.

After typing in his password he heard footsteps enter the kitchen and quickly spun around. Lucy was standing no more than three feet away from him. He just gave her an annoyed glare before turning back around and typing in his password. Lucy observed with high intrigue as she watched him pull up a chair and sit, his attention still focused on the computer in front of him.

_**"What ya doin' there Hard head?"**_ she asked, her tail wagging as she watched, earning another quick glance from Logan before he used the finger pad to select something. She got closer as the screen went to black. Logan did like his personal space, but he just let it slide since the game was loading.

Lucy began to watch more intently as a white vehicle with blue stripes appeared on the screen, followed by stylized text she couldn't read. Rock music began to quietly play as she saw the screen change again. This time Logan selected his name before loading into another garage, this time showing a green vehicle Lucy had never seen before. She looked down and noticed that Logan was the one actually controlling whatever was happening on the screen. She was now more curious than ever, since she hadn't seen a video game before..

He pressed the A button on his controller, a loud siren wailing over the speakers inside the laptop. The green car from earlier was now in view from the rear perspective as Logan pressed another button, making the car drive forward extremely quick. The sound of radio chatter could be heard as red and blue lights flashed. Bombastic music accompanied the virtual police pursuit as Logan continued to press buttons on the controller, playing the game while Lucy watched, leaning forward in awe at what was going on.

It was at this point that Lilly entered, her eyes containing some dark spots under them from just waking up. She perked up a bit however, when she caught sight of Logan being watched by Lucy as he… what was he doing exactly?

_"**What exactly are you doing Logan?"**_ she asked while yawning.

Logan didn't answer as he was too focused on playing the game, causing Lilly to move closer and join Lucy in the spectating.

_**"Huh, First the use of a dangerous weapon, now you're interacting with human technology like you know it at the back of your hand."**_

_**"****I was thinking the same thing."**_ Lucy added.

**"Do you two need something? If not then leave me the hell alone."** was all Logan answered, annoyed at there presence.

The two girls behind him gave each other questioning faces, with Lucy shrugging as well.

**"We just wanted to know what you were doing. No need to get defensive."**_**"**_ Lucy asked.

No answer, which only served to make them more curious, as to them it looked like real footage of a crazed driver driving a somehow indestructible car of some sort.

**"You know for a psychic type you really are clueless..."** He stated bluntly.

Lilly looked at Logan after at what he had said, While Lucy just continued watching the laptop's screen.

He was now speeding excessively down the in-game highway with roadblocks and spike strips around every 30 seconds appearing to try and block his path. He would earn a few gasps from the two girls behind him whenever he would smash his way through the blockades, and dodge the occasional pair of large black and white SUV's trying to ram his car off the road. A police helicopter appeared on screen and was flying overhead as the intense cinematic music continued to play.

Logan found the tense and curious silence of the girls behind him to be a little amusing, since he wasn't used to seeing this level of surprise aimed at a simple video game. But Lucy broke it when he pulled a drift around a corner while out of view of the police.

**"_Why'd you stop?" _**she asked with curiosity. The game showed a menu screen that opened up after a few more seconds, followed by the bombastic music toning down before quietly going away.

**(Lilly's POV)**

I was picking up on various emotions he was having while his mind was occupied on that game of his. It was so odd to me how one could see such a non-existent world as something incentivising enough to be a part of. I could tell this was obviously something he greatly enjoyed.

However at some point, he'd have to find something more fruitful to do, like his training with everyone here to become stronger.

I then heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairway. I broke contact with the computer and moved out of the kitchen. Wildfire was making his way down the stairs as I made eye contact with him. He stopped at the last step and eyed me with a smile on his face, as if I couldn't tell he was disturbed over something, his tense posture giving it away that something was on his mind.

"**So, how was the sleep?"**

He gave a small yet audible sigh. "**Not that bad, and yours?" **he asked kindly.

"**It was… different, but nothing bad happened." **I said reassuringly.

He sat himself down on the last couple steps of stairs. "_**You know Lil', I gotta tell ya… That kid may have a temper, but I need to make something clear."**_

I figured he still had a grudge with Logan, and decided to see if I could try and diffuse it.

_"**You know once you get past hi-"**_

"_**Listen to me Lilly, He's got too much potential for us to ignore. If he accepts the ways of battle then we'll all win that championship for sure. The only thing holding him back is his own ignorance and anger. I was thinking maybe we could show him how to properly use his powers. That way we can also get some bonding time in with him... a little bonding always helps with the rebellious types."**_

We were both silent as I thought about his offer. But I also wondered why he would decide on such a thing. He was known for always wanting to be the best fighter around, so this decision was very peculiar in my opinion, to say the least. But as I thought more about it, Wildfire was the only one in the group who was the, as humans call it, "Jack of all trades, master of none."

But he was right... seeing him teaching someone who also shared many fighting characteristics in battle might prove to be the defining factor in Allison becoming the Champion. Both we're dual typed, with Logan being Psychic and Fighting type, and Wildfire being Fire and Fighting. I decided to go along with it.

But for now I wanted to show him the little spectacle going on in the kitchen, mainly to see his reaction.

"**Alright Wild', I'll go along with your plan. But give him some time to relax and settle in. Come, let me show you what he's doing, it's very interesting to say the least." **

I motioned my hand at him to come into the kitchen. I realized that Everyone else had seemingly woke up while me and Wildfire had chatted since both Allison and Nacho were nowhere to be seen on the furniture. As I figured, I walked into the kitchen to find everyone now watching him. Allison of all people having the most expressive face out of everyone, with both bewilderment and intrigue visible in her eyes.

**(Allison's POV)**

I was awoken from a deep sleep by strange sounds coming from the kitchen, and saw Nacho getting off the couch, my brain telling me that it was time to rise and shine. I sat up and stretched myself before standing up and curiously peering into the kitchen, everyone except Lilly and Wildfire was watching our new friend (Who Lilly finally revealed to be named Logan).

I was shocked at what I saw. He was playing video games, and from what I made out they weren't ones I've seen or heard of before.

A Pokemon playing video games. Now that was something I've never seen or even thought of before.

As I continued to silently watch I realized the laptop he was using had an HDMI port. An idea popped into my head as I then proceeded to tap on his shoulder, causing him to pause the game as he spun around to face me. I could tell he wasn't very thrilled to see me, but I persisted in offering the idea I thought of.

"_Hey, I have an HDMI cable if you wanna hook up your little laptop to the TV out in the living room. Make it easier for everyone to watch?"_

He seemed to ponder the suggestion before looking back at me and shrugging his shoulders.

"_Cool, I'll hook it up if you want."_

I offered while trying to be gentle. He just seemingly handed me his laptop while it was still opened up, the game having been closed as I saw the PC dashboard. It looked very alien to me in terms of the layout, but I just figured It was due to him messing with the settings. I put the Laptop down and unhooked the HDMI from the cable box under the TV, plugging it into the laptops receiving port. The screen now appeared much larger on the TV, and Logan gave a smile in excitement as he sat down on the couch, seemingly very happy to play on a much larger screen.

As I watched him pick up the controller, I couldn't help but realize a sudden moment of hesitation. "_Lilly, ask him what's wrong, he seems troubled."_ I commanded with a firm but gentle voice.

**(General POV)**

Logan was unsure if the game he had in mind was something he could play without being seen as some kind of psychopath. It was a ridiculous thought to him yes, and it's not like he actually cared... but he figured it would make them more suspicious than they already were of him. Besides for that initial horror show in the beginning, and his reaction over the first encounter with everyone, everything else about this world pretty much matched the games and anime from what Logan remembered. There was barely any real violence to be seen, and every game on both his laptop and Xbox were either shooters, racing games, or games he knew couldn't be played as they required connection to servers… from his world.

He really was going to miss playing games like Warframe or War Thunder…

Everyone remained seated on the floor and furniture of the living room, with the only exception being Wildfire, who was leaning against the back wall behind them. Logan hesitated a bit longer before coming to his senses, using a large middle finger to control the mouse pad. Once he clicked on the game he wanted to play the screen went black. Everyone was silent before a menu on the large TV appeared.

Logan paused for a second to admire the music playing, which was hard rock, before clicking the _load game option_ and selecting his last known save. The music became very gothic in tone while still keeping that metal vibe to it, and the graphics were sprites on a 3D playing field. Allison had never seen this game before, and was curious as to what kind of game it was. She was already familiar with games that used First person viewpoints… but they were usually high end simulations for training Pokemon, and the graphics were almost photo realistic. Only rich trainers could afford those.

It was at this point were Logan began to move around in-game. He approached a large door before pulling out the pump-shotgun, seemingly ready to face what was on the other side. The music started playing electric guitars as soon as he opened the door. On the other side stood a massive interior, with many pixelated monsters who hadn't seen him yet.

"_**So… these are the things your fighting huh? They look like little plastic toys." **_Wildfire commented, unaware of what Logan was about to show him.

"**You think so? Well here, let me show you what happens if I stand still in there sights."** Logan moved his character in front of a simple demon in the game, letting it growl before it began to attack. Logan just stood there as the damage quickly racked up, killing the pixelated soldier on screen. Everyone in the living room looked on with horror as the Imp tackled the soldier and started ripping his abdomen open, strewing about various organs and some entrails before a volcano of blood erupted. The man screamed in pain before suddenly falling silent. The screen wiped away to show the door, shotgun at the ready.

"**If you think that's messed up… you haven't even seen the tougher enemies I have to face."** Logan mentioned, a little sadistic smirk appearing on his face.

Wildfire just stood against the wall, looking around as if to see if anyone was just as disturbed by the scene just witnessed on TV. Lucy looked at Logan directly and was visibly disgusted at what had just occurred. _**"That was awful!**__**"**_

He unpaused the game, opening the door and beginning his virtual onslaught against any enemies he laid eyes on in the game. Everyone in the living room watched in alternating stages of shock, horror, or intrigue... except Nacho, who had stars in his eyes the whole time.

Logan would blast an imp or zombie into little pieces. He began throwing grenades to also finish off any stragglers as he made his around the map, picking up key cards and weapons found off the ground.

Lilly however, was watching something else while the game was running. She observed Logan as he gently rocked himself back and forth while sitting on the couch, somewhat in a small trance as he stared at the screen. She was starting to realize that maybe his strange rocking behavior was something he did without a second thought, as he seemingly did it anytime he was sitting down.

She thought to herself for a moment, pondering the idea of if she should try to read his mind and catch a glimpse of his inner thoughts and emotions. She figured that in doing something he enjoyed, he would be too distracted to notice what she was doing, and thus she would have a better chance of performing her ability without getting caught.

_**"It's Worth a shot…" **_she said to herself, justifying it as another step in this "friendship game" everyone was engaged in.

After another five or so minutes of clearing out enemies of various shapes and sizes, Logan approached a strange rune that no-one in the room recognized. He took an audible deep breath before he moved his thumb upwards on the left control stick. In-game, The marine moved and teleported to a large room filled with guns and ammo.

"_**That's a lot of bloody firepower for just killing a few enemies…"**_ Snowfield exclaimed.

He wasn't the only one who seemed to be curious about what would happen next.

"**Because it isn't for smaller enemies…"** Logan answered, leaving the room silent as he approached a large door. The music was just about ready to hit a climax as he opened the virtual door.

A loud roar was heard on the TV, and everyone (except Logan) became mesmerized at the sight before them. Logan just chuckled at there reactions… they just seemed so dramatic sometimes. Then again he shouldn't have been talking. He did pull a gun on them after all… when they obviously weren't that big of a threat in hindsight.

There, about two seconds running distance away from Logan's in game position, stood a Gargantuan Demon, with a Mechanical arm and leg. Logan pulled out a rocket launcher and began to strafe right. The massive demon began to fire a volley of rockets from it's mechanical arm, which was met with an equally deadly volley from Logan's rocket launcher. The in-game music and sounds of combat made everyone stare at the TV. Not so much in disgust anymore but more like amazement at the spectacle.

Logan didn't see it like that, but he did see at as engaging and fun to play.

Logan controlled the marine on screen as he would dodge roll out of the way of incoming fire. the marine's face at the bottom of the screen was covered in blood, but was gritting his teeth in ferocity, trying to cause much more damage to the massive demon as it was doing to him. Logan was now completely entranced in the heavy amounts of combat… and that's when Lilly jumped at the opportunity.

She entered his mind and closed her eyes as to avoid showing the pink glow they emitted while using her psychic abilities. What she heard was something she didn't expect… There were no words, no memories, not even a hint of them. No, instead what she saw was exactly what she was also seeing on the TV. It was the game… and his mind was exactly in sync with it.

At least it looked like that, until Lilly felt something that didn't seem right. Her gut told her to look at the TV screen while she continued reading his thoughts. Upon doing so, It finally dawned on her what the difference was… and she was amazed by it.

His mind was playing the game ahead of real time! She continued to watch in shocked surprise as he would predict split second attacks from the Massive demon and smaller minions like it was nothing. It was like he was doing a graceful virtual dance, with everything little action in game being performed as if it was rehearsed a billion times over… and from what she knew, he probably did rehearse that much. But there was something that just seemed so spectacular to her over what she was seeing. She couldn't decide whether it was the perfect accuracy in the details of the game in his mind, or the fact she could even hear the sounds in said mind, only for them to play on the large TV… and realizing that both sounds sounded the EXACT same.

She was impressed on the mental detail going on inside his brain. But she figured that now would be a good time to leave his thoughts. The demon he was fighting for the last 10 minutes had fallen, and did so by exploding with blood going everywhere. The game then showed another screen with numbers popping up everywhere before finally showing text about being victorious.

Logan just smiled and put down the controller. Upon doing so he was met with a sentence that would soon make things extremely interesting.

Wildfire humphed in confidence before uttering some words Logan never thought he'd hear from him.

"_**Looks easy enough… Maybe I'll give it a go, see if I can beat your time."**_

Everyone turned around at Wildfire and stared at him. Logan did the same before laughing out loud, or at least trying too since his voice still hadn't come full circle yet. He let out a raspy, voiceless laugh while seemingly finding Wildfire's comment as a joke.

"**You?! Play this?! And beat ME?! You got a lot to learn before you even come close! Oh man this is rich, just absolutely priceless!"**

Wildfire was about to retort when he noticed the Gallade reach into his backpack next to the couch and pull out something. Another controller was held in his hands as he turned to look at Wildfire.

"**There's nothing I like more than putting overconfident people in there place."** he stated.

Wildfire just looked at the controller and Lilly swore she saw him smile competitively. "_**Let's just see if your as good as you make yourself out to be kid!"**_

This afternoon was going to be highly interesting...

* * *

Wildfire was at his limits in terms of patience. He figured that playing what Logan calls a "video game" would be an easy feat to accomplish… he was sorely proven wrong. The first mistake he made was actually challenging the Gallade to a few matches, which then turned into eight or so hours of non-stop humiliating losses. Now he was ready to straight up smash the very controller her held, as even after learning the controls the most he ever did was kill Logan with a lucky shot of a rocket launcher.

It was When Logan started to taunt with his character that he officially lost it. The Blaziken set down the controller and stormed up to his room, leaving Logan alone to laugh hard as he held his stomach and let out a wispy yet audible laugh. Everyone had seemingly gotten over the over the top violence, at one point cheering on Wildfire to have just one victorious match. He never got it, but that didn't stop many questions being asked over when everyone else could have a go.

Even Lilly at one point asked if he had any other games she could "give a couple minutes of her time." Logan however wasn't really in the mood to play anymore since he had already played for a whole 7-8 hours. He was getting ready to head up stairs and take a nap Allison got up from the recliner and stretched herself out. She had a face of authority, getting ready to issue a command... and when she did, it was not what Logan had wanted to hear.

"_Welp, we've all been sitting here doing nothing for a few hours. I say it's time to begin our training! We got a big event in a couple of weeks and we need all the practice we can get."_

Logan at first didn't know how to feel over being apart of something he knew he had no place participating in. When everyone rushed their way out the door, he stayed put. He wasn't moving out there until they admitted he didn't have to battle. But Allison just stood there with her arms crossed, a smile present on her face.

"_Just head on out there, you don't have to begin today if you don't want to."_

Logan didn't feel like she seriously meant that, but just decided to soldier on since there wasn't much else he could really do. He groaned in annoyance before getting up and dragging himself out the door. Out in the woods nearby, he could already see Lucy and Nacho getting ready to battle each other. About 30 feet away from them was Wildfire, who leaning up against a thick tree trunk and watching the two get ready.

_**"So here we are! Ready and willing to begin battle training, am I right?"**_ Lilly said with enthusiasm.

Logan jumped from how sudden she appeared behind him, completely unaware of how she even got there. "**Jesus Christ! You scared me…" **He exclaimed

Lilly lightly giggled at his jumpy response _**"I ****apologize, I just wanted to know if you were excited, that's all."**_

**"Uh no, I'm not excited... Your master said I didn't have to battle, so I'm staying out of it."**

_"**Don't you mean ****our** **master?" **_Lilly pointed out.

Logan raised his left eyebrow as his only response at first. Despite the implications of being captured, he had never actually thought of considering Allison _his_ master, not that he would start though.

**"No she's not my master and she will never be my master. Don't EVER try and assume she's OUR master... she's just yours, not mine."**

Lilly just just sighed at the low key stubbornness he was showing.

_**"Doesn't battling another opponent to show who's stronger seem at all enticing to you?"**_

Logan just gave her a blank face like he didn't know what she was talking about.

_**"Is it not something you'd consider even in the slightest?"**_

Logan finally responded to her question. **"The only time you'll ever catch me battling is if someone pissed me off... and you REALLY DON'T wanna do that.****"**

Lilly felt disappointed and irritated at his remark. All that potential... wasted by an unwillingness to improve himself. She remembered how he had lost his mind last night, and the sheer power on display when he completely overpowered Wildfire. It was, to say the least, impressive for someone who didn't like battles.

"_**Aw come on, Lighten up kid!" **_Wildfire said jokingly as he approached the conversing duo.

Logan didn't like that comment, and snapped his head to directly face him. **"I don't lighten up to assholes who hold me against my will!****"**

**_"You should be thankin' us for savin' your little behind! So how's bout you show some respect!_"**

Logan stared the flaming chicken straight in the eyes, pointing at the him as he made his point clear. _**"How about you guys let me go and I'll be on my way! There won't be an issue if I'm not here to cause it!**_**"**

Wildfire was about to retort back when he caught himself and gave the stink eye. Logan just turned and went behind a tree, leaning up against it and trying to not even bat an eye towards anyone. He was a loner, he didn't need them. If they needed him, then it was a sign of just how weak they were. No one ever needed him, that was just the way things were.

Logan became distracted by a soothing heat like sensation coming from his abdomen. He quickly came back to reality upon feeling that slight itching sensation become extremely irritating before completely vanishing. He looked to the source before looking up and to the right. Lilly, who was touching where the injury was bandaged up while her eyes glowed a shade of pink, was performing what looked to be some kind of healing move. Logan jumped back, startled by her sudden appearance once again before quickly undoing his bandage. When he unwrapped the bandage he was shocked.

The wound had vanished! Poof! Gone! Just like that! The only thing left of it was a noticeable scar where it was. He put his hand on it in surprise before looking back at Lilly. Usually she'd use that move and then everything healed quicker overnight or something... but this, this was new.

_"**So? How's that for healing old wounds eh?" **_Lilly chimed.

_"**I figured if I healed it up for you, you could try battling just once?"**_

Logan quickly lost his sense of surprise and only glared with anger as he knew what this would mean from here on out. Allison approached from behind as Lucy followed. They both looked at Logan before Allison turned and gave a thumbs up at Lilly and Wildfire before smiling.

"_Good Job Lil' I knew you could do it!"_

Logan let out a sickly voiceless groan. He knew what was gonna happen next.

"_Alright Logan, You ready to become stronger!"_

She made a fist in her right hand as if cheering him on, which only served to earn herself another glare from him, similar to the one he had given her at the Pokemon center.

"_Look, as much as you don't want to do it. I promise you it will only serve to help you achieve great things. Li-_

**_"_Oh cut the shit! You just want me to start conforming to your needs and demands! So quit playing this goody two-shoes act!"**

_"Fine... Look, just one battle and were done. Sound easy enough?"_

"**No****! It doesn't! You said I didn't have to battle! Keep to your promise and don't try to persuade me otherwise!" **He said in pure disgust.

_"You know what... how about this. Three turns, that's it. If you can't handle it then we'll stop there. I just need to know how strong you are."_

**"You know what, fine! But only because it'll get you off my ass..."**

"_YES! I PROMISE YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!"_ Allison yelled in excitement. Happy to soon see the Gallade finally try and fight.

"**I already am…" **Logan quietly retorted back, making sure no-one heard it but himself.

"_Right, Wildfire I want you to get out there with him!"_

Wildfire nodded at ran over to the other end of the secluded field. Logan had already been waiting, albeit hoping they would take all the time in the world. The longer it took them to get ready, the less time he had to "train".

"_Alright! Wildfire you'll be by yourself, I'll be commanding Logan this time around, got it?"_

Wildfire gave a thumbs up at the command. Logan on the other hand just sighed in frustration. They both looked at each other as Allison got behind Logan before assuming a more assertive stance. The battle was about to begin.

Wildfire made his move, charging at Logan in hopes of body slamming him.

"_Dodge it!" _yelled Allison.

Logan tried to jump out of the way, but was too late as Wildfire already landed a large blow, sending the gallade flying several feet from where he was standing. Logan got back up and resumed a typical fighting stance, fists up and ready to rumble. Wildfire immediately began discharging flames from his wrists, and again started charging forward, ready to land a flame punch.

"_Dodge it and counter with a low kick to the back of his legs!" _Allison commanded.

Logan started to feel like she didn't catch on to the fact he never battled like this before, much to his annoyance.

Just as Wildfire came into range, Logan did manage to successfully dodge the attack. But when he tried to go for a low kick he slipped, giving Wildfire another opening to land a hit. Logan was sent even further from the attack than the last one, now flying around 15 feet and twirling in the air as he did so.

"_Come on Logan! You can do this!" _Allison shouted encouragingly. Logan on the other hand didn't hear it as he was dizzy from the previous hit. He was trying to get back up, but he struggled to stay on his feet as he stood. Wildfire began his final attack, jumping high in the air and getting ready to end the fight. Logan snapped out of it just in time to see Wildfire falling towards him, and braced himself for the blow.

It was at that moment when time seemed to slow down for him. As his fight or flight response kicked into high gear, He started to feel that familiar power run throughout his body, followed by the sudden need to beat the hell out of his attacker. His mind began to haze up from raw and powerful anger. As he began to feel enraged, that familiar aura from before began to surround him as he couldn't take the punishment anymore.

As Wildfire was about to land his high kick, Logan suddenly dodged it and grabbed the Blaziken's right foot. Wildfire began to spin around rapidly as Logan then suddenly threw him as hard as he could into the ground, spewing up a lot of dirt and gravel. Allison looked on in bewilderment as it had all happened before she could issue another command. Everyone else was shocked at the sudden shift in events as well.

When the dust cleared Logan was still standing, and Wildfire was laying face first on the ground. He was still breathing, but looked like he had taken a serious blow from the sudden and out of nowhere attack. Lucy stared at Logan and started to feel worried.

"_**Uh guys, that creepy aura from before…"**_

Allison looked at Logan and jumped in excitement from having some results battling with him.

"_THAT WAS AWESOME LOGAN! YOU DID FANTASTIC DODGING THAT ATTACK!... Logan?"_

Allison began to sense that something was off...

Lilly realized what was happening, and started to panic over the troubling implications.

_"**MASTER! GET WILDFIRE OUT OF THERE!" **_she yelled.

Allison turned her head to look at Lilly before facing Logan again. Her irises immediately shrank upon finally realizing the situation. She froze up in fear as she saw Logan roll Wildfire over before standing on top of him. Logan's face showed signs of having blacked out, with his irises having somewhat visibly shrunk and his teeth gritted tight in anger. Wildfire began to wake up from the hard impact, and came face to face with the Gallade now standing above him. He could hear sickly heavy breathing, a side effect of the currently out of control Gallade having no physical voice.

Wildfire put his hands up in an effort to show he had no intentions, But Logan just picked him up by the feathers on his chest, leveling his face with the fire/fighting-type.

Wildfire pushed himself away in a successful bid to try and get loose from the Logan's surprisingly iron grip. As he stood up, He he assumed a fighting stance. Logan charged at him with rage as he tried to cause more damage to the Blaziken. But Wildfire was experienced in these kind of engagements, and when Logan got within range, He grabbed him before spinning around to throw him off balance.

As they both struggled, Logan was screaming seemingly insane things in his rage. An unsettling growl present in his thoughts.

"**GET OFF ME YOU SON OF A BITCH! I WON'T LET YOU HURT ME AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME! I WON'T LET YOU DO WHAT THEY DID TO ME!"**

His mind was all over the place as Wildfire held on to him, hearing more and more insanity driven ramblings and screams of rage. Lilly watched in shock and could also hear the disturbing things Logan yelled.

Everyone cautiously stood back as Wildfire continued to struggle with him. Lilly decided that enough was enough, and hastily approached the hassle between the two. Allison cautiously did the same, knowing full well that if he attacked her she would get more seriously injured than any of her Pokemon.

Lilly tried to be as calm as she could while she approached the two. Wildfire was holding Logan around the waist, keeping the Gallade's bladed forearms tucked to his sides to prevent him from cutting everyone, including Wildfire himself. He held him towards Lilly as she got within two feet from them. Logan was still struggling to get free, and it was starting to wear Wildfire down.

She reached out her cyan colored right hand before gently touching Logan on his left cheek. He tightened up a little from the touch, not expecting it in any way shape or form. She could feel how soaked they were, and couldn't help but feel concerned for the mentally disturbed Gallade. She could feel just how deep his rage went, as she herself was experiencing the frightening urge to destroy everything around her. Her ability to read other creature's emotions was to blame for that.

She then did something that no-one expected her to do. She got really close to him before gently placing her arms around him, giving him a gentle embrace while Wildfire still held him in place. Logan froze up like a statue as he didn't know what to do, or even how to feel for that matter. While she continued to gently hold him close, the air around them began to feel less burdened with negative emotions. She could feel the rage fueled urges leaving her as she finally let go of him. Wildfire hesitated before finally letting go, causing Logan to drop to his knees.

He looked up at Lilly and just stared at her... his eyes were full of hatred. Not the kind of hatred of someone like a cereal killer either. It was the kind of hatred that was typical of a person with ideological differences. But she couldn't lose faith in him... he was there only real shot at getting in to the championship. There wasn't many Pokemon around in the area of sufficient strength, and the rules stated and Allison needed exactly six Pokemon to enter.

Logan was staring at the ground where a puddle was showing his reflection. He looked at himself for a while before feeling a rush of sadness and guilt wash over him.

"**No, I can't let my emotions get to me... they'll only make things worse."**

Allison was close behind him, looking into the same puddle and seeing the look on his face. She just watched with a solemn expression as she didn't want to damage the situation further. Logan was made completely oblivious by his clouded thoughts and dwindled sense of his surroundings, and didn't realize she was that close despite her reflection appearing in the puddle he stared at. Lilly put her hand on his shoulder, her instincts telling her she needed to comfort him.

This was instantly rejected with him jerking away from her... **"Keep your over sized hands off me..."**

His words physically echoed in everyone's head as he declared it with no remorse, not realizing that everyone had heard that. He got up off his knees and took off towards the house, running as quickly as he could so he could get away from everyone.

"_**Let 'em go… He needs to sort himself out before we try to talk to 'em again." **_Wildfire commented, putting Lilly's hand down for her before slowly pacing himself back to the house.

She could see Allison was upset as well since she was holding her cap over her eyes, trying to block everyone from fully seeing how she felt about all this. But Lilly knew better, It didn't take magic powers to know that her master was feeling just as concerned for realizing that Logan was effectively incapable of battling, and even more concerned over his mental well being.

* * *

**(Logan's POV)**

I was laying down on the bed, eyes closed, yet still awake. I knew what I had done the hours previous, and I was angry more than anything. I had let my anger get to me once again. If I let my emotions get me like that one more time they'd probably put a shock collar on me. I had no doubt Allison wasn't gonna let me go easily, and so I returned my thoughts to more pressing matters. In three hours of my own mental solitary confinement, All I could think about was freedom.

**(General POV)**

The sound of a doorknob turning was heard as Lilly had entered the room. She slowly closed the door behind her, looking down at the Gallade who kept himself facing away from her. She made out a scar where the wound had once been, and couldn't help but ask herself who would go so far as to shoot a Pokemon. The very idea of it sickened her greatly.

She could feel the intense anger that Logan was currently feeling. She wanted to comfort him, but was afraid he would only become disturbed by her presence. She just stood there, looking at him with ruby red eyes as he laid there in her bed.

She couldn't help but blush a little as she kept looking. She just stood there as Logan adjusted his position to sit up, getting a good look at the muscles that appeared on his arms and back. As he turned to look at her she could only blush a bit more at the sight of a slim but well toned chest.

Though she didn't think he even realized, the blades that came out of his elbows and forearms were longer than average. Something that her species considered a very attractive feature. The females always preferred the males with longer forearms, as it meant better offensive and defensive capabilities when the need to fight had arise.

She looked at the blue blade like horn that protruded from his cranium. It was more curved on the front, which was known to be a sign that signified good battling prowess. Many species, including humans, also knew of this correlation. In basic sense the more powerful the potential, the more sharp and well defined the horn. This also served as a great deterrence from predators in the wild, which is why pack leaders would always exhibit the more curved horns.

Lilly developed a slight nosebleed as she continued to stare, completely unaware that Logan had already seen her checking him out.

**"Stop starring at me like that... you creeping me out."** he called to get her attention.

She snapped out of her trance only to feel highly embarrassed by what she had done. She giggled nervously before regaining her composure

_"**My apologies, I was just wondering if you needed someone to talk to…"**_ She asked quietly, holding her hands in front of herself as she did so.

Logan didn't say anything, instead just looking away as he fought to hide his disdain. She gently moved closer to him before she sat down on the bed. She was sitting right next to him as he looked down at the floor, a his eyes closed in silent depression.

**"Why do you even bother talking to me? Don't you get it? I have no reason to be here with you guys. You're barking up the wrong tree if you want to talk to me."**

_"**I know..." **_Lilly calmly stated.

Logan didn't respond when she said that.

_"**I know it's uncomfortable for many males to admit it."**_

She still got no response on Logan's behalf, but she urged herself to continue.

_**"But despite everything you've done…"**_

Logan turned his head to face her, his eyes screaming at her to tell him what she thought of him. _**"I understand that you are troubled... Really, I do. But you are not the soul that intentionally causes pain and suffering for others. I know your a better person on the in-"**_

**"If your trying to be nice in hopes of earning my favor then cut the shit. It's not gonna work."**

...

This was going to be a long few weeks...


	7. Unveiled Truths

It was another day in the Hoenn region, and Logan had figured that if anything... now would be the time to reveal some hidden truths about what had happened from before they found him.

It wasn't out of trust though, but rather out of hopes it would influence Lilly enough to keep him away from any fighting. The begging from before only served to further hasten this decision, as hopefully it would also shut everyone up in the process.

There was a moment of silence as Lilly placed her right hand on Logan's forehead. She could sense an aura of nervousness surrounding them as she began to focus, channeling her mind to connect with his on a much more singular level. The room began to visibly shrink around them as she entered his thoughts, a dark void consuming them as they went into a realm of memories. Then void then quickly began to morph and become colorful, as Lilly and Logan were transported to one of the earliest events he could recount in his head.

Lilly was the first to open her eyes. She put her hand up in front of her face, the sun nearly blinding her as her vision adjusted to the light. When her eyes got used to the sunlight, she got a good view of where she was.

About fifty feet from where she and Logan stood was a medium sized two story house. It looked to be in a state of disrepair, with various old and broken items ranging from toys to discarded furniture littering the lawn. They looked to be in the middle of a small town, as a concrete road ran behind them with various other types of housing spread about.

It was only then that she picked up on two humans, adults from what it sounded like, arguing from within the semi-derelict building. She was about to investigate further when she turned to look at Logan.

He stood with his head down and his arms to his side, seemingly unwilling to even look at the house she could tell held bad memories within.

"_**Come, I might need your guidance around the premise…"**_ she calmly mentioned, gently reaching for his hand in an attempt to bring him along with her. But when she grabbed it, he pulled back, a sense of fear overcoming him as he stood in place**. **

**"Trust me… You don't want to be here that long." **He foretold, making it clear that he wasn't going anywhere near the building.

Lilly could only nod her head in understanding as she knew it would be better to just go along with his wishes.

She turned around and gave the house one last look before moving herself closer. As she approached the building a foul smell overwhelmed her senses, earning a gag reflex as she felt like she suddenly needed to vomit.

Once she approached the door she turned back around to make sure Logan was doing okay. He was sitting on the ground, head still facing down as he rested his arms on his knees. Once she turned back around she twisted the doorknob, and entered the building.

Her face almost immediately scrunched up in disgust. It was mostly covered in trash, with everything from beer cans and strange needles, to food wrappers and misplaced mail letters… all of which were placed on various tables and dressers. The smell inside the building made her stomach churn, and even if she couldn't quite describe it, she didn't want to find out what it was.

As she turned near a set of stairs to take a look around the area, she was suddenly met with a sight that made her eyes go wide. Sitting near the stairs and huddled in a corner was a young human boy. He looked no more than 4 to 5 years old, and had a birthday hat on top of his head. She could see what it said, and it made her heart instantly sink.

"_**Happy Birthday Logan! We Love you!**_"

She felt her eyes water up as she realized the situation the young boy was in**. **

"_**What a terrible place for someone so young to live in..."**_ was all she could muster before she saw the memory slipping away.

Logan was next to her again, as if he had been right alongside her the whole time. She continued to move through many events inside Logan's mind, and none of them showed a little Ralts, or a Kirlia. She wondered if he was holding back vital information, even if he had promised otherwise. As she was thinking over everything she had seen so far, the area around them began to take shape again, this time in a hospital setting.

Lilly gasped at what lay in front of her. It was that same boy laying down on a hospital cot, a heart monitor beeping next to him. He was very heavily bandaged up, with various cuts and bruises still visible. He looked like he had been beaten by somebody, and it didn't take Lilly much thought to assume who it was.

She slowly moved closer and leaned down, looking at the boy's face from no more than two feet away. She couldn't help but shed a few tears as she couldn't understand why someone would even do this to one of their own young. She had heard of sick things like this, but was fortunate enough to have never seen it or met someone who dealt with it before.

The Boy's eyes were closed as Lilly sensed something behind her. Upon turning her head around she saw Logan was near the doorway. He was leaning against the left wall with his arms crossed. He was noticeably holding back his emotions, as his eyes were wet with tears that had not yet fallen. She looked at him with confusion before looking back at the young boy and then looking back at the Gallade nearby. She repeated this a few times before pointing at the boy and looking at Logan.

The pieces started to connect… and she couldn't believe it.

"_**P-Please T-Tell this child didn't…"**_ She wavered through her building tears.

"**Pass? Nah, You're talking to him right now." **Logan jokingly stated, obviously not feeling any positive emotions.

Everything went dark as she continued to process everything she was shown so far. The room disappeared as she continued to stare at Logan, who was now standing upright. They were now in an empty void as her tears continued to fall, though she wasn't sobbing.

She had so many questions…

"_**But how could that be… You aren't even a human."**_ she whimpered quietly, unwilling to accept the hard truth.

Logan just sighed before the dark void started to slowly change again**. "I knew you'd find it hard to believe… It's just like I thought." **He muttered.

When everything was in sight, There was a bunch of scientists at their stations, and people in black uniforms patrolled the area. All of whom which had the infamous red "R" somewhere on their clothes. Lilly immediately knew what he was showing her. It was the same Team Rocket Stronghold from the first time she was allowed to explore his mind. But after further observation, she realized that something changed from before. Under the massive beam cannon was not a Gallade like she saw before, but a human male. It was that same boy, now a young man who looked to be in his late teens, and sporting a full grown beard. A state of pure fear was plastered on his face as the cannon's green beam came crashing down on him. Lilly's gut wrenched as she got an up close view of the transformation, screams of agonizing pain and terror coming from the boy under the beam. Sounds of bones cracking and rearranging were heard as both her and Logan continued to watch the sickening transformation take hold. Her eyes went wide in disbelief at the sight of a Gallade taking the place of where the teenage man once was.

She could only watch in pure horror at the subsequent violence of breaking out of the complex. She looked on with shock as people we're trying to ruthlessly gun him down. She saw these events before, but at the time they were mixed up by Logan on purpose, as to hide the true horrors he didn't want her to see. Instead of shooting rockets with nets and using Pokemon to try and beat him into submission with only a few firearms here and there, They were all using bigger and more powerful weapons than previously shown, with more violent and downright evil or disturbing dialogue being spoken by the various thugs who stood in Logan's path. She watched in pure shock as Logan gunned a couple people down with that familiar looking weapon he pointed at her and everyone else, which was no more than a week ago. Upon seeing Logan enter the elevator, she quickly let out a gasp as she witnessed an entire shower of bullets rain down on him. It was at that moment when she finally learned the whole story of how he was shot. Blood was all over Logan's hands as he stood there, adrenaline rushing through his body like never before.

Until now, she never got to see how he actually got shot, as when he showed her this whole mess the first time he completely left it out, leaving her to interpret how it all happened. She figured it was bad, but for some reason watching it made it seem so much worse than before.

Before she could see more events transpire, The memory cut to black. She was ready to ask so many questions. But before she could, she suddenly found herself back in reality, no longer in Logan's head. Logan was just sitting there, waiting for her to get on with what she wanted to ask.

**(Logan's POV)**

"**Now you know…" ** was all I said to her.

She gave me a look I could only describe as concerned before I heard her speak to me again, her telekinetic voice echoing inside my head.

"_**Why didn't you tell me?"**_

I didn't say this to her, but I never really was good with taking in other people's emotions. I could help people when I related to their issues, but when it was something along the lines of my childhood, specifically my parents, then I kind of just… became bitter. Of course I had no answer for her, since there was literally millions of different reasons why. The fact that I was now a Pokemon only served to add more pressure, as I probably stood out much more than when I was still human.

It was like my brain was arguing with itself, one reason arguing with another reason who was arguing with 2 other reasons who were arguing with 4 other reasons- It just drove me mad. I always had to deal with this kind of feeling inside my head, and I couldn't ever get rid of it without those damn video games I loved so much. They were all I had when things got tense for me, and now my addiction to them has led me to being trapped here.

"_**Logan… If we don't tell everyone here what's going on, then how are we to help y-"**_

"**There's no helping me Lilly! I'm trapped inside a body that doesn't belong to me and I can't go back to face my past! I'm not even human anymore! I'm just a Pokemon who can't even get his fix straight! Face it, my situation is hopeless!"**

I lost it at that moment. I didn't understand why she thought my situation could improve. I already had nowhere to go which meant this was my home now, so what in the hell could happen that could possibly make things better.

"_**I think your situation can only improve from here."**_

I just looked at her with my eyelids lowered halfway, not believing in what she was about to say.

_**"You're much weaker than us, but that doesn't mean things will remain that way forever."**_

I didn't know how to take that, and didn't really have a full idea where she was taking this talk.

"**Gee, thanks… I totally wish I was told that sooner."**

I didn't wish that one bit.

"_**N-No that's not what I mean, uh… look, you already have mastered a few key techniques that many champion teams haven't, your fight with Wildfire proved it. That, and he offered to teach you how to fight... that alone should be telling you how much you're capable of."**_

Lilly was visibly trying to form her words as she went. But when she mentioned that last part I quickly aimed to know what she meant.

"**Wait, Hang on just a second! Wildfire offered to teach me how to Fight? When did this happen?"**

I asked her, now confused as to why that Blaziken would even want to teach me, and after everything I put him through too! It just seemed a tad too shady for my liking.

"_**Oh… he never told you?" **_She asked, and man was I annoyed when she did so.

"**Well if he did, I wouldn't be asking you." **I clearly stated. **"Although..**."

There was a quick pause in the room before I continued. **"I wouldn't be against taking up his offer, as long as he doesn't use me as his own personal punching bag...**"

**_"So do you wish to learn_?"**

"**I doubt I'd be someone who could reliably fight for long periods of time though. I may have a decent grasp on brute force, but if we're talking a championship, then I can confidently say I'd get my ass handed to me."**

I was serious about that statement in every sense of the word. From what the video games and show told me, only the best trainers and Pokemon made it into the championship. Blacking out would not only lead to defeat in almost every scenario, but would also be highly embarrassing, to put it lightly.

"_**I see… Maybe I could convince master to acquire those strange devices called TMs."**_

When Lilly pitched that idea I was intrigued, but also felt a little irritated.

"**What's wrong with using the move I already know? Isn't slamming a 7 ft tall Chicken into the ground with that kind of power considered a good thing?" **I questioned. I already figured that I needed to learn more moves, but I didn't even know how I picked up _frustration _in the first place. How did Pokemon even learn to channel their powers like they did? Being thrusted into a new body like I was didn't exactly come with any instruction manual on how to do things like that.

To be completely honest, I wouldn't have been surprised if Lilly questioned my intelligence at that moment. Pokemon with less than four moves usually never stood a chance in the Pokemon League. But as usual I had spoken before thinking it out, and in doing so it went over my head that what I had said went against common sense in this world.

"_**You're one move is indeed powerful, but it's dangerously unrefined. You'll need to learn how to use your telepathy and natural psychic abilities before you're ready for the road ahead." **_Lilly pointed out to me.

In my mind a little skit played out. I was in the living room of Allison's house, awkwardly staring straight at the TV. It was as if I was trying to make it levitate, or turn it on with the power of telekinesis. But of course, me not knowing how to control my psychic powers meant the TV burst into flames before exploding.

basically my hind went haywire on me again... it had a tendency of always doing that at the worst times, and I despised it every time that happened.

I lowered my head slightly, shaking it slightly while chuckling a little. But as I snapped back to reality, I figured that what I saw shouldn't be taken lightly. While it was undeniable that my new body was capable of quite amazing things, learning how to harness those things would be a lot harder for me specifically.

**"You seem to forget that I wasn't born a Pokemon. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure anyone who's a psychic has had years to hone their ability"**

She looked at me with a straight face, which I had learned through trial and error meant she wasn't satisfied with my answer.

_**"You're not mistaken, but it won't be as hard as what you were just thinking."**_

I pause for a moment, confused on what she meant. But it didn't take long for me to realize that she read my mind. **"I take it you saw the exploding TV..."** was all that I could think of saying. She chuckled before saying _**"Indeed"**__**.**_

I smiled at the notion. It wasn't often I found someone who seemed to enjoy the same sense of humor. Although I did wonder if she actually found that funny, as she just as well could've been laughing at my stupid question, and not the humor behind it.

**"Wait, hang on you just learned about who I really am! Call me crazy, but besides the initial shock value, you seem to be acting like it's completely normal around here..."**

"_**It's not normal by any means. But what you say is because I see it as something you should be more thankful for… You are blessed with the mind and knowledge of a human, and now you're bestowed with the power and gifts of a Pokemon, one with humanoid like physique no less. You're potential far exceeds that of many... you should be grateful for this."**_

**"I don't think I'll ever agree with what you just said… like, ever."**

Lilly shrugged at my response.

**"What can you tell me about the hardships ahead?"**

_**"I won't sugarcoat it for you, it will be hard. But I would be lying if I didn't mention how confident I am in your ability to learn quickly."**_

She was serious, but also seemed to be rather confident when she said that... We obviously didn't have the same viewpoints.

**"Me? learning something quickly? Now I know you're just kissing ass." **I stated flatly, crossing my arms as I did so.

_**"Am I? I'd like to believe I was trying to inform you of just how formidable you can become."**_

Of course I took what she believed with a grain of salt... though her genuine expression made it clear she believed in what she said.

**"Alright then... Give me a logical reason on why you think so highly of me."** I asked in a rather demanding tone.

_**"While it understandably may not be so obvious, there are physical signs all over you that display promising signs of prowess."**_

I was dead silent for an uncomfortably long time. All I could project to her was **"What the hell are you even talking about..."** before being given a very long explanation**.**

**(General POV)**

_**"My kind has a belief**_… _**A belief which has its roots in tales of epic achievements between man and 'mon. It is said that one can determine the meaning of his or her life through evaluation of the body, and it's believed that these signs have distinct meanings."**_

Logan lowered his eyelids in boredom. He knew this was going to be a long explanation.

_**"Many humans who have experience with our kind have taken notice of this belief, and thus have started calling these signs "Gifts and curses"... What I'm so fascinated about you is that you hold more than one gift. All of which have understandably went unnoticed by you.**_

He yawned in even more boredom. He obviously didn't take this seriously. How could he? To him it was all just superstitious bullshit...

_**"Your horn and blades foretell of a soul whose destined to become a powerful fighter, and after seeing what you did to Wildfire... I believe it."**_

Logan raised his right arm and lifted a finger to the blue blade on top of his head. He felt the shape and sharpness of the blade and noticed how it felt very much like a metal blade. What was even weirder was that he felt his finger touch it, signifying that the blade had nerves inside it.

_**"The other two gifts are for you to figure out, as it is not my place to tell you what destiny has in store for you, only to help guide you along the path." **_

There was a long and awkward silence following the explanation. Logan just stared at Lilly, wondering why she even believed such things.

**"Wow, That has got to be one of the dumbest and most cliche sounding beliefs I've ever heard... Scratch that, It's THE dumbest and most cliche sounding beliefs I've ever heard."**

Lilly let gave him a look of insult, not having taken kindly to Logan's blunt comment.

**"**_**Excuse me, I'll have you know that it is a belief my kind views with utmost respect and pride!"**_

Logan could only sigh, hoping he could explain to her what he meant by that without pissing her off more.

**"Look, I'm not exactly someone who'll live up to those lofty standards. Besides, that whole "prophecy" mess isn't something I've personally believed in. I mean come on, I can't even use psychic powers!"**

_**"Oh but you have... those emotions you feel in the air, they are the result of you already sensing another soul's feelings. How do I know this? I feel the emotions radiate from your body, and they always match the feelings we sense in the area around us. You're already developing stronger ties to the very power that we're all gifted with."**_

Logan sat on the bed, unable to think of an answer to her observation.

After thinking long and hard on the subject, he finally came to a conclusion. "**Okay fine, I'll do it. But how long is this training of your's supposed to last?"**

Lilly beamed, surprised that he accepted her offer to teach him the ways of harnessing psychic energy.

"_**How long it lasts depends on your how much you care for it. It will be quick and less stressful if you truly wish to learn."**_

Logan groaned at her answer... He didn't wish to learn since felt like he had no choice.

**"Let me sleep on that... I need to think about it before I give any answer**

* * *

It was quiet in the house. Logan and Lilly we're still sleeping upstairs, and everyone else was quietly entertaining themselves in the living room. Allison was in her pajamas watching a live show about Cops. Nacho was also doing the same, the remote resting on the arm of the chair he sat in. As the two lazily watched on, Lucy and Snowfield we're in the dining room… chatting among each other.

But something seemed odd with what they were talking about.

"_**I'm telling you Snow, She's falling head over heels for him. Haven't you seen way she's been acting around him?"**_

"_**Look I get what your saying Lucy… But why do you even bother so much? It's not like he's interested in her like that." **_The bird responded.

"_**Maybe so, but I don't think that kid realizes that she's crushing for him. Don't you think we should help the two out? Mix things up a little?"**_

Lucy had a wide grin spread across her face as she said that.

"_**Lucy I know that look. If you thinking what I think your thinking then count me out!"**_ Snowfield crossed his wings, his displeasure apparent to the blue jackal.

"_**Oh come on Snowfield, She's already desperate to make him notice. Maybe they just need a way to get to know each other."**_ Lucy pointed out, her demeanor giving Snowfield an idea of how mischievous her plan might actually be.

"_**And how exactly do you expect her to not find out? She can read all our bloody minds! If you so much as lie to her, she'd be on to you quicker than a Rapidash winning a Slugma race." **_

Lucy laughed a bit at the Staraptor's quick assumption and comment.

"_**My Winged pal, It doesn't involve lying to her. She'd be in on it actually, and during the championships no less."**_

"_**I'm listening…"**_ Snowfield narrowed his eyes in intrigue and suspicion.

Meanwhile inside the bathroom, Wildfire was relaxing inside the steaming hot bathtub. The water would have burned anyone who wasn't a fire type, but to him it was absolutely perfect. He didn't have much to think about, just relax and maybe even doze off. It certainly was a nice change of pace over the past few days. Training wasn't something Allison did when it was blistering hot outside. Hoenn never got cold during any season, and today was no exception. For him it was nothing since he naturally enjoyed hot weather. But hey, he didn't care either way. Less moving meant more relaxing, something he took at every opportunity.

Logan began to wake from his sleep, having slept well since the house's air conditioning was running. He felt like something was weighing him down, and when he opened his eyes he was met with a surprising sight.

Lilly was laying practically on top of him. Her head resting just next to the spike that protruded from his chest, while her arms practically squeezed around him as if he was a large body pillow. Her right leg was resting on top both of his, and she seemed to be having the best sleep of her life. Judging from the admittedly heartwarming smile he could see on her face.

He wanted to move, but didn't want to have to push to get her off him. The whole situation felt so odd to him. He thought this was something only people who loved each other did, and last time he checked, He and Lilly were only friends. He tried to move, but it only served to increase the grip she held on him.

He sighed in defeat before resting his hand on her shoulder. He started to shake her gently, trying to wake her up. "**Uhh… hey, you awake?"**

He was met with a tired groan, a sign of disturbance no doubt. He continued to shake her gently, hoping she wouldn't get frustrated with him. "**Yo Lilly, you're kind of pinning me down here."**

Lilly groaned before sleepily stating "_**Leave me be Master… He's mine for tonight."**_

Logan immediately stopped shaking her and let out a quiet gasp in response. His eyes went wide while a deep blush formed on his face. He was frozen, his brain struggling to register what it had just heard.

But what made things even worse was the footsteps coming from beyond the door. It looked like they were complete lovers from with how close Lilly lay next to him. He was now sweating, imagining the amount of torment he would receive from everyone's reaction. The footsteps stopped right near the door, making him shake Lilly faster, hoping she would wake up. But she was still fast asleep, with no chance of waking up.

The door opened. Lucy and Snowfield appeared at the doorway. As they we're about to walk in they froze, looking at what was in front of them.

"_**Bullocks, we miss the confession last night!" **_Snowfield loudly moped.

"**First off, It's not what it looks like. Second, She was like this when I woke up. And Third, can you guys help get her off me?!"**

Lucy was snickering, unable to contain herself from what she was seeing. "_**I don't know hard head, seems like you guys are a perfect couple."**_

"**If you don't get her off me I SWEAR TO GOD I"LL-"**

"**Hey… what's wrong?" **Lilly quietly asked, just now starting to wake up from her deep sleep. Everyone went silent as she slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she opened them she immediately blushed, her eyes going wide. Lucy and Snowfield both we're now laughing as She looked up, her blush growing deeper as she was face to face with Logan, who also was heavily blushing.

"**ARCEUS BLESS M-" **She gasped before falling off the bed in shock. As she got back up she started to panic.

"**I-I-I'M SO SORRY I-I D-DIDN'T MEAN THAT PLEASE DON'T TELL ANYONE I-IT W-WON'T H-"**

"_**Relax there Lilly… We're not gonna tell anyone OK?"**_ Lucy reassured her.

"_**Pfft, Easy for you to say! My mates a few trees down the road would love to h-" **_Lucy summoned a bone rod before pushing it close to Snowfields beak. "_**You tell anyone and I'll make sure to pluck out every gosh darn feather!"**_

Snowfield laughed nervously before a sweat drop formed on his head. "_**Right then I'll make sure that no-one finds out! Nope! My beak is zipped! Won't happen, hehe! Please don't pluck my feathers…"**_

Lilly looked to Logan, who just returned her stare with wide eyes and a confused look.

"**I've got so many questions right know it's not even funny…"**

Lilly just looked down in heavy embarrassment, knowing full well what that she had explaining to do.

"**I'm so sorry I-I… what do want to know..."**

"**Just why you we're so close." **He bluntly asked.

His forearms resting against the bed as he took a minute to get up. Lucy and Snowfield we're still near the door, with Lucy gently closing it as too make sure no-one else overheard the conversation.

"_**Oh for Arceus sake! Haven't you ever felt what love is chap! She's got a heart out for ya!"**_ Snowfield impatiently yelled. Lucy elbowed the bird in the chest, making him cry out before giving her a dirty look, one which the jackal returned with ease.

Logan just looked back and forth between the duo and Lilly, who was covering her face with embarrassment and shame. Logan didn't know what to do in this situation, and could really feel the pressure closing in on him. He knew what he was going to say would create new problems, but he felt that it was all he could do.

"**Look, I'm flattered by the thought. But I'm not looking for anyone get intimate with."**

As soon as he made his thoughts cleared his stomach sink sank. He hated being in situations like this. He felt like even more of a jerk for lying, because he wasn't even flattered by it. He was actually quite terrified. He knew relationships never went smoothly. No-one could have hold a relationship that long without major hiccups, and in his case he knew that the key to a relationship was patience… something he sorely lacked.

"_**Well so much for that! There goes our plan for a happy cou-"**_

"_**CAN IT SNOW!" **_Lucy screamed, making everyone in the room jump up in surprise. She opened the room and walked out the door, Snowfield following in tow as the door was left open. "**Damn… Why does she care so much about something like that? It's no like anyone even said anything until kn-"**

He turned his head once he heard a strange whooshing sound, with Lilly nowhere to be seen in the room. He frantically looked around for any sign of her before realizing that she teleported away.

"**OH GOD DAMMIT!"**

He sighed before getting off the bed and walking towards the hallway. "**Smooth move Logan, first you want to improve relationships and then you go and break someone's heart… fucking dumb ass."**

He may have barely even met her, but for all he knew her kind didn't need long to find a couples. It was all in that crystal protruding from their chest, something he had as well. He never felt any differences with having it, besides the weird sensation of it hardening when he felt angry but that was about it.

He felt worried that maybe he had done something horribly wrong. He was asking himself why he did though, for both he and Lilly knew that he wasn't a Pokemon by any normal sense of the word. He was still a human, he was just trapped…

Permanently…

In a body that naturally wasn't his…

For the rest of his life…

But that didn't matter right now. What mattered is that he felt the odd desire to cheer her up. He didn't know how he could, all he really ever did was play games and generally just loaf around, and going outside wasn't something he did on a regular basis.

As he made his way down the stairs he made sure to stay quiet, hoping no-one would see him right away. He could just go into the kitchen and find a snack before-

"**OH SHIT THE LESSONS!" **He yelled out in panic.

He remembered what Lilly said to him last night, and now he most likely screwed up his chances of doing so.

He sped down the stairs before looking around the house, earning glances from everyone as he looked around every room and hallway.

"**Where'd she go dammit! I gotta get those lessons from h- OH GOD!"**

He made the mistake of looking into the bathroom. Wildfire was still in the bath relaxing when Logan looked in, making the boy turned Pokemon quickly close the door in genuine surprise. "_**If ya lookin' for her try the pond out in the woods near the abandoned barn shed."**_

"**Thanks Wild! I'll go look!" **Logan quickly ran out the back door.

"_**Hey while yer' at it, can you bring me some wood sticks from out there? Burnt wood makes a good incense for me… hello? You there friend?"**_

Logan had already dashed into the woods, looking around for where he could find Lilly.

"**Barn house near the pond! barn house near the pond! Barn house near the pond!" **He repeated to himself, making sure to memorize the info given to him.

After running for about five or so minutes he saw what he was looking for. An old, dilapidated barn house lay abandoned next to a somehow clean and beautiful pond. There, on a smooth large rock near the edge was Lilly, head down with what looked to be tears on her face. He slowed down as he approached the area, a good 30 or so yards away from Lilly as he hid behind the nearby barn.

"**Aw man, she did cry… how am I gonna do this?"**

He needed to brainstorm ways to make her feel better without sparking that desire for him, and he knew that would be a highly difficult challenge. But he wouldn't back down now, he already ran too far from the house, and there was no reason to go back until he talked with her.

"**Alright Logan, just talk to her and don't lose your head. Just be calm, just be gentle. Your goal is to cheer her up, not send her into a depression."**

He took another look around the barn, catching a glimpse of Lilly still sitting on the rock. He took a deep breath and tried to put on his best "comfort face", if he could call it that.

"**Alright… let's do this."**

He slowly made his way towards Lilly, hoping she wouldn't teleport away again. As he got to well within five feet of distance, he made his presence known.

"**Hey Lilly… can we talk?"**

At first he got no reply from her. But after a minute of silence she placed her hand next to her and gestured him to sit, all while facing away from him. He listened, and quickly did so, sitting down right next to her and remaining quiet.

She was the first to speak, much to his surprise.

"_**I knew it was something you'd decline… it's not your fault. You never learned to develop via the ways everyone else in my species has done so."**_

"**Well you're not wrong, but I can't help but feel bad for not noticing the signs."**

Lilly remained silent, prompting Logan to continue. "**But what I don't understand is why you've grown so attached to me so quickly… I mean I haven't even known you for two weeks, one week if you count how long I was out while inside the center. I don't even have anything to recall that could earn your affection. I-"**

"_**There's no need for apologies. I should've taken into account you're... differences."**_

"**Well hey, we can at least remain friends right? It's not like I'll be going anywhere, at least not anytime soon…"**

Lilly did manage to force a smile, but in the end it didn't matter. She was now in a situation she couldn't easily get herself out of, made even worse by the innocent ignorance Logan naturally held.

"_**There are things at play here I wish you took the time to learn before making certain decisions… not because I tell you so, but because I know that if you truly knew what is going on you would become much more accepting."**_

"**What do you mean by that L-"**

He was interrupted by another *WOOSH* before seeing Lilly quickly vanish right before his eyes. He quickly looked around again before cursing at himself. Now he had to go back to the house and tell her she still hadn't begun teaching him the basics of psychic powers.

Though now that he thought about it, maybe what she told him was the first step in beginning his trails. To learn and understand more about what's going on around him…

"**Welp, Looks like It's time for a trip to the internet… or whatever it's called here."**


	8. Saber

Searching the web didn't end up working out to well, as the info provided only really gave generalized descriptions of wild Pokemon. None of the websites he found had really given him much help outside of a few tips and tricks on how to bond with them, which was meant for trainers.

The weirdest part to him though was the name of the system used to go online. "**Dexweb?" **Definitely a new name for sure… at least he got the idea behind it.

Now he was currently laying in bed, with Lilly sleeping right next to him. He was sweating profusely, thrashing about in his sleep while groaning and grunting, his empty and raspy sounds filling the room. Lilly was still sleeping serenely, most likely completely unaware he was having another nightmare. The two we're kind of like yin and yang when sleep was concerned. One would twist and turn while in a state of dream filled distress, while the other would sleep like she hadn't slept in ages.

**(Begin dream sequence)**

He was surrounded by a pitch black void, similar to when Lilly was in his mind. He felt very uneasy, the darkness providing little idea of where he was..

"_**You've become soft! You let your own stupid decisions get the best of you!"**_

A voice much like his spoke, yet he knew it wasn't his. The undertone and echo made it sound a bit too malevolent for it to be him.

"**Hello?"**

"_**Hello, It's nice to know you can hear me."**_

…

"_**You're so quiet… another sign of how spineless you've become!"**_

"**What are you inferring?"**

"_**Your pathetic weakness, that's what!**_

"**What weakness? I'm trying to make the best of my situation!"**

"_**Yet deep down… I know how you long for escape! Face it, you're just afraid of what they'll do if you exact those **__**solid plans**_ _**you told them!**_

"**That was the other me, the one who wasn't thinking straight!"**

"_**Oh? But yet look where you are now. HELD CAPTIVE AGAINST YOUR WILL! And for what? SO THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU!**_

"**There's nothing of me to take advantage of! I'm not even willing to fight!"**

"_**Which is why you're a spineless FOOL! You know damn well this world carries a common belief of unfair indentured servitude! Eventually… YOU'LL HAVE NO SAY IN YOUR OWN FUTURE!"**_

"**That's not true! They don't deserve the other me! They don't deserve to suffer over common beliefs!"**

"_**You may think so, but that's only because you're thinking more like a Pokemon, and not like a human being! Granted, All you ever do is play video games and cuss up a storm, when you could be planning out a way to escape! You're a disgrace to your own self!"**_

"**SHUT UP! You aren't me! You don't know who I am!"**

"_**On the contrary, I AM YOU! I'm the you who would have never abandoned his freedom! You should have never given in so easily!**_

"**If I didn't give in, I would have died!"**

"_**NOT IF YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THINGS THROUGH DUMB ASS! You had so many chances to escape! Yet after all the initial promising things you told them, you foolishly gave it all up over a pitiful want for comradery, for friendship!"**_

"**I may have made some dumb decisions! But look at me, I'm making something out of it all! I'm making real friends! Ones who actually ca-"**

"_**DON'T BE SO NAIVE! THEY ONLY WISH TO USE YOU FOR THERE GAINS! TO MAKE YOU A SLAVE! YOU'RE ONLY WORTH THE MONEY AND FAME "SHE" PULLS IN!**_

"**YOU'RE WRONG! ALLISON WOULDN'T DO THAT!"**

"_**How would you know! You haven't even scratched the surface of who she is… Who they are!"**_

"**That's why I agreed to give them a chance! Everyone deserves at least one shot at everything!**

"_**AND YET YOU TRIED TO MURDER THEM WHEN THEY WANTED TO CAPTURE YOU! They even caught you after doing such heinous acts! If they cared, they sure as hell don't anymore!"**_

"**..."**

"_**So you see, the old you was the one who was right! You need to escape them! Leave them to there own selfish desires!"**_

"**I… I… I can't…"**

"_**AND WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE THEM! YOU KNOW THEY DON'T ACTUALLY CARE FOR YOU! THEY ONLY SAY THAT TO MAKE YOU MORE COMPLIANT! LIKE A DOG ON A LEASH!"**_

"**Because even if they don't care! They act like they do pretty damn well! You don't think I question the same things?!"**

…

"_**You're hopeless…"**_

The light… It was almost blinding, Yet Logan still didn't know where he was. One moment it was pitch black with nothing to see, and now brightness filled his vision… he still couldn't see though. He couldn't feel anything under his stumpy feet, which told him he was somehow suspended in midair.

It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the light that surrounded him. When he finally gained the courage to look around he was astonished at what he saw. He was in the clouds, levitating, but unable to move from one area to the next.

"_**So… our guest has arrived."**_

Logan gasped in surprise before looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of where and who the voice originated from. He took a moment to process what he heard.

The voice sounded much more calm. It held an echo to it, just like the previous one that tormented him. But this one didn't have the deeper undertone or darker feel to it. No, this one almost sounded more benign, even heavenly.

Wait… Heavenly?

"**Who was that? What's going on?"**

"_**Do not be afraid, for I have only came to offer some advice."**_

"**Advice? What do you mean advice? Who are you?"**

"_**My name is not important… but your name holds much value to it, Logan."**_

The Gallades eyes opened wide at the sudden calling of his name.

"**How the hell do you know my name?! And what do you mean value?"**

"_**I know all about you… but that is not why you are here."**_

"**Wait…"**

Logan started to count with his fingers.

"**In the clouds, heavenly voice, knows my name, claims he knows all…"**

After quickly connecting the dots, he just realized who exactly he was talking too.

"**Arceus…"**

"_**You are a sharp one, commendable."**_

"**I have no business being in front of a god..."**

"_**How rude… most would have highly appreciated coming into contact by me."**_

"**..."**

"_**Tis alright… I understand the things you struggle with, so I will look past them. I'm here to tell you what you must hear.**_

"**If it has anything to do with battles you're too la-"**

"_**Stay determined, and keep yourself restrained. True evil doesn't care for others."**_

"**What are you ev-**

"_**What they seek is in fact what you currently fear… Your actions will not go unrewarded."**_

"**Are you seriously expecting me to fully understand these?"**

"_**Do not be afraid of what is expected, but is still to come."**_

"**OH BOY! Here we go with the cliche sounding prophecies!"**

Everytime Logan spoke or tried to get a word in, the godly Pokemon would just speak over him, or continue without acknowledging his words..

"_**The enemy you choose will decide the fate of many more…"**_

"**WAIT WHAT?!"**

"_**To value the ones you care for, you must break free of your fears… never forget that."**_

"**WAIT HOLD UP CAN YOU REPEAT THE ONE BEF-**

"_**Farewell… and may your adventures show promise with my blessings."**_

"**W-WAIT DON'T LEAVE NOW! WAIT! WAIT!**

Logan shot up from the bed, unnerved by the dreams he experienced. His breathing was heavy, with that now familiar voiceless rasp audibly filling his breaths.

"_**Are you okay? You look like you had another one."**_

Logan looked toward Lilly, who had turned to face him while still keeping her head on her pillow. She looked worried, but overall she still kept her admittedly soothing demeanor.

"**Don't worry about it, I'll be fine…"**

He laid himself back down onto the bed before turning to face away from her. She didn't say anything, but he felt the concern emanating from her. What had originally been a nightmare now turned into another episode of no sleep, which meant he would have to deal with huge amounts of drag in the morning.

Lilly recognized he was troubled... "_**Logan?"**_

Logan turned to face her, but instead was met with her moving up against him before resting her large hand on his head. "_**If you wish, I can cuddle with you again."**_

Logan remained silent at her offer, the memories of recent events still fresh in his mind. Ever since that moment when she cuddled him tighter than a body pillow, he now felt uncomfortable with the idea.

"**Look, I'm not really comfortable with the idea…"**

"_**That's fine, but if your not willing to let me comfort you physically, then can you tell me what's wrong?"**_

Logan remained silent for a little bit but eventually decided to speak.

"**I'm torn Lil'..."**

"_**Torn? What for? Surely you're not thinking about what was revealed to you right? I already told you it's not something you need to w-"**_

"**I'm divided over whether it was a good idea to give you guys a chance… I've never been good at the friendship game you know? A-And it just doesn't make any sense with how everyone is being so nice to me. What's the catch?"**

"_**There is no real catch… The only thing we want from you is to accept us and for you to unlock your true potential as a Pokemon."**_

"**But why should I accept you when all you guys have done is keep me trapped here against my will? I figured giving you guys a chance would mean eventually adapting to this all, but I just don't see any of this working out..."**

"_**We keep you here because you will only put yourself in danger if left on your own."**_

"**I don't think so… and even if so then it shouldn't be any of you or anyone else's concern. I'm starting to seriously think you guys only want me here because you ****think** **i'll be a great asset to assist in your little championship."**

"_**I'd be lying if I said that's a lie, but I'd also be lying if I said it was only that. There's another reason you're being kept here besides what we already mentioned, and while it's a good thing in the long term I-**_

"**It's only good in the long term if I allow you guys to use me in battles… I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna give my life away to fighting others."**

Lilly moved away from him on the bed while giving him a seemingly offended stare. "_**Give your life away? Battling isn't that in the slightest."**_

"**You're told by a "Master" to do moves to beat other Pokemon into submission, and have no say in the matter, and it stays like that for years. Yes, it is exactly like that."**

"_**Master does it differently, she gives us free reign over how we fight. She only gives us commands when we seek it. The only reason you've seen her give us all commands is to help us become stronger, and when we're dealing with wild pokemon…"**_

"_**And you happened to be an example of when we definitely needed guidance."**_

Logan didn't have anything to argue back… His argument was defeated by that new little piece of info dropped on him. A trainer who only issues commands when her pokemon seeks it? How the hell does that even work?

"**Then why did she say she's my "Master" at the center the way she did? I made it clear I wasn't willing to join, so if she really is the way you say she is, then why the hell did she try to become an authority in my life?"**

"_**Sometimes I can't answer those questions…"**_

"**And why is that?"**

Lilly sighed before looking directly into his eyes. Her expression was serious, and Logan felt the air around become a little heavier than before.

"_**Do not forget she is human. Just like any living being, she will make mistakes and misjudgments purely based on irrational thinking and common belief. But like any human she is much more prone to them. Soon, you yourself will be able to avoid situations like that purely by using your psychic abilities, but she will never achieve such things… surely you can relate to that, right?"**_

Logan was now dead silent where he was. He hated to admit it, but she was right. He knew what it was like to have his actions become dictated by mere illogical thoughts… in fact he could have said he was even worse than Allison. As a less than average human being, he could only _try_ to perform thought out actions and educated guesses, and even as a Pokemon he still failed to do those same things.

"_**From now on, maybe it would be in your best interest to give her some time before you jump to conclusions. I know how hard that will be for you considering your situation, but if you give it time I'm certain you'll be surprised at the outcome."**_

"**I don't think you can truly realize just how hard it's gonna be for me to pull that off, but I'll give it a go… Just don't expect instant good results."**

* * *

The date was now October 29th, twelve full cycles from the day when Lilly had her feelings for Logan revealed. He didn't really know how to take the news. It just didn't feel right in anyway shape or form. A Pokemon, in love with him on a romantic level, and for reasons he was still unsure of, and it all happened so quickly. Not only that, but he was struggling to not jump to conclusions on anything. He was forced to develop the habit as a kid, and for good reason. He just couldn't shake the habit like he wanted to, and it was causing him to go crazy. He didn't even understand why he was becoming so agitated and upset upon trying to do so, and would blow up and cause more problems whenever he put effort into hearing someone out… that amount of effort needed being too much for him to handle.

Whenever anyone in the house so much as showed a little aggression or raised their voice, he snapped. He even had gone so far as to ask Lilly to suppress her link to his thoughts until the end of each day, hoping it would force himself to develop the ability to listen to all the things he was repeatedly told by everyone.

Everyday we would listen to Wildfire's drawn out complaints on why he hadn't tried to improve his fighting prowess beyond simple rage. Lucy mainly just kept her distance, and only appeared when Lilly was the only one near him. This gave Logan the impression she was acting like some bodyguard to Lilly, which only served to stimulate his annoyance towards her. Snowfield would mainly just blabber on about random things that happened during the day… Though Logan had to admit, some of the Staraptor's antics we're pretty funny. Especially when they involved messing with the locals with his other birdlike Pokemon friends. But in the end it only seemed Snowfield only cared about his own words… as he always kept it a one sided conversation.

But things with Allison were only getting more heated as time went on, and it only added to the mounting stress Logan was putting up with.

And Lilly… all she ever really wanted was to be near him.

He never told anyone the dreams he experienced that night, nor did he think they would take it very seriously. I mean come on they were only dreams, nothing to consider beyond that.

Over the next few days, he started to show more severe and sudden episodes of depression. He wouldn't eat anything, his nightmares became a constant nightly occurrence, and he even began locking himself inside Lilly's room closet. Thankfully she never used it, but she wanted this all to end. She hated seeing him like this, not just because of the terrifying and explosive anger he usually exhibited. But also because she could sense the split in his mind.

The night before she even overheard him talking to himself while everyone was training outside. It sounded like he was debating with himself. Lilly had never seen him do this, but after witnessing him calm down for a little while she figured it might be a very odd coping mechanism. Not as odd as when he would rock himself back and forth while sitting however, which was made even weirder after she noticed he would only do it with seats that had a backrest attached to them, like a couch or an armchair. He would usually be completely zoned out while doing this, and sometimes would even have his laptop playing music. Snowfield had noticed this too, and rather mockingly started calling it his little "Happy dance", which everyone except Nacho and Lilly herself seemed to pick up.

These problems led to an all time low point yesterday, when Allison had threatened to put him inside his poke ball after he flipped out on Nacho for accidentally breaking one of his controllers in rage over the game he had been playing. This only served to intensify the situation. Needless to say, the original ball she had for him was now in a trash dump somewhere in several pieces, and it took the combined strength of Wildfire, Nacho, Lucy, and several hypnosis attempts by Lilly to hold him down while he was blacked out. After he calmed down, Lilly noticed a bruise that covered Allison's right forearm, which was probably the result of Logan roughly grabbing her arm and squeezing it to get her to drop the ball.

Allison did eventually get a new ball, an Ultra ball to be precise. She recaught Logan while he was dazed, and though the anger outbursts did calm down, his resentment towards her seemed to hit an all time high.

Lilly was the only one who knew it had something to do with the changes in his body he was going through, and how severe the alterations in his life actually were. But only she knew of the other reason why he was behaving this way, and not even Logan himself would figure it out until she told him. This would be soon, when she and Wildfire took him outside to the training grounds.

* * *

"_**Hey kid, Wake up…"**_

Wildfire was shaking Logan as he slept, the Gallade moaning in disturbance as he did so. Lilly was next to him, waiting for Logan to wake up.

"_**Come on kid, We gotta go… Lilly help me wake 'em up."**_

Lilly just looked at him and nodded before her eyes started to glow. Suddenly Logan jumped up out of the bed, seemingly startled awake by something.

"**WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"**

Wildfire quickly moved and shoved his hand over Logans mouth, which didn't do anything since Logan didn't use it to talk. He gave a quick look at Lilly and caught sight of her giggling at his mistake, before turning back to Logan and putting his other hand up to his beak.

"_**Keep yourself quiet, ya hear? Now come on, we got training to do."**_

Lilly spoke up soon after. "_**And for the record, that loud noise didn't happen. It was all in your head." **_She pointed to her own head and giggled while her eyes still glowed.

Logan just looked at Wildfire and Lilly before realizing what was going on. He was still tired, but he was awake no thanks to Lilly's little trick. "**Would it have killed you to use water or something?"**

"_**I was gonna, but then Lilly insisted it wouldn't be enough…"**_ Wildfire answered. Logan gave Lilly an annoyed glance before lowering his head and shaking it, sighing as he did so.

"**How long is this gonna take?"**

"_**All night if we have to, we're gonna make a proud fighter out of ya." **_Wildfire again answered.

"_**And hopefully I can help you achieve the use of your psychic abilities." **_Lilly added, her excitement though the roof.

"**Oh boy… how exciting."** Logan declared, with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

The path Wildfire and Lilly were leading Logan down seemed like it would never end. Lilly was up ahead, while Wildfire walked beside Logan. It felt like they had been walking for a while, and the house was nowhere to be seen behind them as they advanced deeper into the woods.

Logan complained the whole time...

"**Where the hell are you two taking me? This is so much farther than before… And why is it so deep in the woods anyway? At this point we should light a torch, I can't see two feet in f-**

"_**Oh for Arceus' Sake will ya please be quiet! You've been complainin' the whole time we've been walkin'!"**_

"**Well sorry to disappoint you, but I don't usually like going outside! Let alone taking hikes around the god damn dark as hell woods!**

"_**We've only been walkin' for twenty minutes..."**_

"**Feels like two hours…"**

"_**Would you two pipe down, we're almost there!"**_ Lilly interrupted.

Not to far ahead was the outline of what looked to be a large cave, the path heading directly into it. As they got closer Logan noticed the torches lining the wall. The flames burnt an eerie yet beautiful purplish pink. He wondered who put them there.

"_**Looks like that Chandelier wax you spoke of really works Lil'! These torches are still burnin', and after over 9 months too."**_

At least that question was answered… As they entered the cave Wildfire told Lilly to go on ahead, and that he had to speak with "Hard-head" for a second.

Looks like Lucy's nickname for him was starting to gain traction… Logan silently cursed the blue jackal.

"**What do you want?"**

"_**I need to let ya in somethin'... somethin' you really need to know."**_

"**Okay, but why does it have to be now? Couldn't you have just waited till the morning?"**

"_**I could have, but then ya would've walked away before letting me tell ya."**_

"**..."**

"**Fair point… just make it quick. I'd like to go back to bed at some point."**

The tall Fire type leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms, lowering his head and closing his eyes as he spoke.

"_**Have ya ever wondered why Lil' cares about ya so much?"**_

What he asked quickly grabbed Logan's undivided attention. The Gallade turned his head to directly face the older Pokemon.

Wildfire chuckled slightly at the response Logan gave. "_**Ya see, There was a special someone who she was very close too."**_

Logan had a suspicious idea where this was going, but for once kept his thoughts to himself.

"_**He was a lot like ya… mean tempered, traumatized, very dramatic, had no place to go. So Alli-girl decided to capture em' in the hopes of helpin' out. He didn't like us at first, and much like ya he even picked a few fights, usually involving me."**_

Logan continued to listen, now completely entranced by what he was being told.

"_**He didn't have a nickname at first, so we decided to help 'em out. "Saber" was what we decided on, and he couldn't have been happier. After a little while He started warmin' up to us, and soon he started to show us what kind of fighter he really was."**_

Wildfire's managed to let off a faint smile while he continued to speak.

"_**He really was somethin' else, Everytime I fought alongside 'em in doubles he always managed to amaze me. His ability to battle was like no other Pokemon on the field. He even earned recognition from the Champion in Galar…"**_

"**Jeez, sounds like a real top dog."**

"_**Indeed he was, and to top it all off he and Lil' developed feelings for one another..."**_

"**..."**

"_**He and Lilly ended up havin' an egg together. Me, Lucy, and Saber we're given the task of delivering it to the daycare… We all felt as though Arceus himself had been watching over us, and we were confident nothing could ever go wrong."**_

Wildfire was starting to show signs of sadness, his voice wavering while his eyes looked to be wet. He looked down to the natural stone floor and tried to keep his cool.

"_**I remember it all so clearly... the sun was just settin', and we were all laughin' and congratulatin' Saber on becomin' a father. He had the brightest smile on his face, and he thanked us for being there for 'em."**_

"**Jesus Christ… I-I don't like where this is going one bit."**

"_**Neither did we... We strayed from the beaten path, hoping to skip a few hours of travel. We heard a loud commotion nearby. Everythin' happened so quickly, all I remember were the numerous packs of Mightyena and Houndoom fightin' over who got to feast on us… and in the ensuing fight Saber fought to his dying breath, the rivaling two packs sheer numbers making it impossible for Lucy and I to fight 'em all off."**_

Wildfire was now leaking tears down his face, and his face wavered even harder than before.

"_**He yelled for us to run… while he stayed and fought. The egg was safely held by me as we rushed to deliver it to safety. When we arrived at the daycare with the egg, there was no smiles or happy celebration… Everyone knew what had to be done, So we made it back to where the fight occurred… B-By the legends, I still can't shake the memory…"**_

Wildfire looked up, horror induced imagery playing through his mind as he began to sob. "_**His corpse, so mangled and torn… Blood everywhere… and his head, by the legends his head… in pieces. He died the most painful and brutal death… so suddenly."**_

Logan couldn't think of anything to say. It was such a heavy thing being told to him, and he couldn't understand why he was even being told heart wrenching story.

Wildfire was struggling to maintain his composure, but he continued on with what he had to say. "_**After we got back, Lilly was already in complete ruin. It was like she was there when Saber was brutally torn apart… like she had felt it all." **_

There was a long and empty silence...

"_**After that day she was never the same…"**_

"_**Never talked…"**_

"_**Never left her room…"**_

"_**Always cried…"**_

"_**She was broken… unable to handle the loss."**_

Logan felt a huge wave of sadness and regret wash over him like a Tidal wave. He felt a very subtle pressure in his chest, and when he looked down he noticed the spike protrusion glow and change into a crystalline texture… It was reacting to the heavy emotions in the air, and mixing them with his own.

Was this what Lilly goes through whenever he himself got angry, or broke down in tears? It felt uncomfortable… and he wanted it to go away. But what could he do? What could he say?

"**I uhh… I… Don't… know what to s-**

"_**And then you came along…"**_

"**Huh?"**

The older Blaziken stopped leaning against the wall, and was able to regain his composure. He looked straight into Logan's eyes, giving him a cold yet kind stare.

"_**The night before we found ya She started to feel a connection, one which she explained felt similar to when Saber was around… and in a minute of desperate hope she thought he was actually alive."**_

"_**But as we set out to help her, she started tellin' me how she was noticin' differences in your soul compared to his. She kept herself silent, and slowly I saw a smile come over her little face as we got closer to ya..."**_

"_**And when we found ya, I could see why…"**_

"**And why's that?"**

Wildfire crossed his arms before pointing a hand indirectly at the younger Gallade.

"_**It's cus ya look just like 'em… and the second she saw ya I could see just how much her spirits lifted."**_

"_**Now the craziest part 'bout all this is… Well, Let's just say she had to infiltrate Al's mind and pull some strings, if you get what I'm implying."**_

"**Wait… Are… Are you saying she ACTUALLY used mind control... to convince Allison on catching me?"**

"_**Exactly, and I went along with it. I knew ya wouldn't like the idea at first… no one ever does, and the ones who do… Well, they know the true benefits of company."**_

This would explain a lot of why he was in this situation for seemingly no good reason… It's not that they just so happened to find him and take a liking to him. It was over one of their loved suffering from severe grief… and in there eyes he looked to be the answer.

"**I suddenly feel like I'm only here for her… and I have to admit, it feels degrading."**

"_**What? That aint what I'm tryin' to Imply… Look, what I'm sayin' is simple. It's rare for someone of her species to find another mate after the previous one dies… I've seen so. If she did all of that just to have ya around, call me crazy all ya want, but she's a true keeper."**_

"**Yet she's basically holding me here against my will…"**

"_**Not anymore… Allison knows the true reason Lilly likes ya, in fact she kinda guessed it out from the get go. Lil' has no control over her at this point. Besides, I have a gut feelin' she see's somethin' in ya that Saber lacked… I don't exactly know what it is yet, but it has to be something REAL special for her to do what she did."**_

"**But Allison didn't even seem to be under any hypnosis… so how did Lilly pull it off so discreetly?"**

"_**From what I can remember, she said one day she'd be interested in teachin' ya how to do it, so maybe it's best you wait until that d-**_

"_**Hey boys! You're taking a rather long time out there, Mind joining me down here!" **_Lilly telepathically yelled through the caves. Wildfire chuckled before walking deeper into the cave.

"_**Come on kid, Your skills won't get better by just standing here."**_

"**Great… Can't wait…" **Logan mentally muttered under to himself, Rolling his eyes in the process.

Even though he accepted this beforehand, he still felt like ditching the whole thing wasn't a bad idea. He already got a taste of how grueling and painful certain training regiments were…

But hey, at least there was one good thing he could get out of this… If all went south, the injuries he'd obtain would give him a valid reason to be his lazy old self.


	9. Settling Down a Little

"**So… When do we begin?"**

Logan followed Wildfire down the descending hallway of rock that led to some kind of supposed "Secret" training ground… or at least that's what Logan was suspecting.

"_**Eager are we?" **_Wildfire answered back.

"**Impatient would be a much better term."**

"_**Heh, I guess that's another way of lookin' at it."**_

After they approached another entrance, seemingly to a much larger area of the cave, Logan paused and looked around. The place was enormous, at least the size of a football field. The walls looked much smoother than the jagged texture that lined the hallways before, and the floor was almost completely flat.

Lilly was in the center of the room waiting for them, her smile never leaving her face. She looked to Logan and gestured him to come to her. "_**Come, there is much to learn…"**_

Logan just looked at Wildfire, who nodded but stayed put. He was going to watch from the sidelines, making sure nothing went wrong while Logan learned how to properly harness his psychic abilities.

The Gallade turned to look back at Lilly, who was patiently waiting for him. He hesitantly began to move towards her, struggling to motivate himself as he did so.

"_**Do not worry, I'll be here with you the whole way."**_

"**I know you will… but that doesn't make me feel much better."**

Lilly's lowered for a second, her feelings slightly hurt by his blunt words. "_**I'm sorry you feel that way…"**_

"**No need to apologize… I just wanna get this whole thing done and over with."**

"_**Rushing things only leads to negative setbacks."**_

"**I know that... No offense, but I currently don't care about the setbacks. You guys wanted so badly for me to learn this stuff, now I'm here."**

Lilly let out a deep breath of frustration over Logan's seemingly unending lack of interest over something ever so vital to success. "_**Please… I just wish you would go into this with an open mind."**_

"**Kinda hard when opening my mind only leads to misunderstanding… now are you going to show me how to use my powers or what?"**

"_**I can't show you if you don't do what I asked first… for that is the first step to learning how to utilize your powers to their fullest potential."**_

Wildfire chimed in from across the room "_**Trust me kid, we're only tryin' to help ya… just do what she says and I promise it'll be worth it."**_

Logan glared at Wildfire as a response, and got nothing in return. But he couldn't get himself out of this. He already had shown interest in developing his powers, even if it was minimal. Needless to say he had no choice but to just run with what they were asking of him.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before giving the green light. "**Alright… I'm ready when you are."**

"_**Excellent!"**_

Lilly was now bursting with excitement. Logan could feel it, and couldn't help but react to it all by letting a smile form on his face. He couldn't deny how nice it made him feel when he made someone happy for a change, even if it was over something he didn't enjoy.

"_**Right, we shall begin… firstly, I'll have to ask you to sit."**_

Logan did as she asked and lowered himself to sit on the ground, folding his legs as he did so. Lilly did the same but hovered in midair for a split second before slowly lowering herself on the floor.

"**Showoff…"**

"_**It's only natural."**_ Lilly shot back playfully, giggling a little. She offered her hands to him, who just looked at them while waiting for her to tell him what to do next.

"_**Well, are you going to hold hands with me?"**_

"**Oh, sorry…"**

Their hands met, fingers interlocking as they connected. Logan noticed Lilly blush a little, which normally would have set off alarms inside his head. But this time he decided to let it slide, knowing that they we're at the point of no return involving current events.

"_**I want you to close your eyes, and focus your thoughts. Focus on the goals you wish to achieve."**_

Logan followed her directions. He closed his eyes, and tried to focus his thoughts. He wanted to unlock the abilities hidden within himself. He started to think of all the possibilities, his mind rushing with ideas. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into impatience.

"**Nothings happening…"**

"_**It's alright, you're just thinking to quickly… try to slow yourself down. Only with a clear mind can you proceed."**_ she comforted. This little encouragement also informed Logan that she was reading his mind, which made him feel uncomfortable.

"_**I'm only inside your thoughts to help you remain calm. Now please try and relax, we have the whole night to achieve your first steps…"**_

Logan took her words to heart, though he still had a hard time keeping his thoughts together. Being on the spectrum meant his thinking was all over the place, which in this situation only proved to further hinder his progress.

But he wasn't going to let his life problems get in the way this time. So much was on the table in terms of life improvement. He wouldn't battle sure, but having the abilities of a psychic type meant a lot of everyday chores and inconveniences would be next to non existent, and he really liked the sound of that.

"**Okay Lilly, let's try this again… But let me see if I can do it without your help."**

"_**As you wish… I have confidence in you."**_

"**I didn't really think otherwise…" **He acknowledged.

His eyelids closed tighter, and his muscles became tense. He wanted-

No...

He NEEDED this to happen. Any negative thoughts that swam through his mind, he tried to shut out. For once he was acknowledging the peace of mind he felt, and jumped on the opportunity. His breathing began to slow down as he embraced the silence of the caves, letting it enter his thoughts.

"_**You're doing great. Let your mind be at ease... only with serenity will your soul project it's power."**_

He started to feel something within himself, a warmth inside his chest he couldn't describe. He ignored it, choosing to restrain himself from thinking about the sensations he felt. It started to spread throughout his body, calming his thoughts even further.

"_**That's it! You can do it! Embrace your power… let your thoughts accept your gifts."**_

"**I feel it…"**

"_**Do you wish to unlock your potential?"**_

"**I do…"**

"_**Say it… Say you wish to strengthen yourself."**_

"**I wanna be stronger…"**

"_**Embrace it, say it louder."**_

"**I wanna be stronger."**

"_**Say it for the legends to hear."**_

"**I wanna be stronger!"**

"_**Scream it! Make them know you accept the powers you hide within!"**_

"**I WANNA BE STRONGER!"**

The spike on Logan's chest began to glow a faint blue, which earned Lilly's immediate attention. "_**Wait… what in Arceus' name… that's not supposed to happen." **_She thought to herself.

But while she wanted to warn Logan that something was wrong, she hesitated...

"_**L-Logan? I think we should s-**_

"**I WILL BE THE STRONG! I WILL EMBRACE THE POWER THAT'S INSIDE!"**

Logan's chest spike began to glow bright. Wildfire and Lilly both covered their eyes from the bright flash, The bluish-white light filling the entire cavern. Lilly was scared, as she had never seen this kind of phenomena before. His horn was supposed to glow red, and not be so bright. But as she tried to warn him, she realised how far into his own mind he traveled… making it impossible to reach him.

"**I NEED TO BE STRONGER!"**

The light became even more intense. Lilly started to back up, closing her eyes while her left arm covered them up. Wildfire followed suit, not wanting to lose his eyesight. They both were about to run out of the cave when everything became a white flash. The sounds of the cave now falling completely silent as everything became nothing but light. But as Logan started to fall silent, so did the light that filled the area, which started to dim. The world around the trio began to once more take shape, the cave now becoming visible from within.

Wildfire uncovered his eyes to view the aftermath. He noticed Lilly huddled in a corner of the cave, breathing intensely while still covering her eyes with her forearm. As he turned his head a bit to the right he could see Logan laying on the ground, seemingly unconscious from what had just transpired.

"_**Well, looks like them surprises just keep comin'..." **_He thought to himself.

He calmly made his way over to Lilly, who was still in her position from before. He knelt down at her side and put a clawed hand on her shoulder and shook it, getting her attention. She lowered her arm and looked up at him, confused on what the heck just happened.

"_**I think the boy's done checked in for the night…"**_

Lilly gazed over at Logan, his body laying flat on the ground. She could see that he was breathing and was relieved that nothing seriously harmful had transpired. Still, she was curious as to what the blue light he emitted signified.

"_**That was strange, I've never seen that happen to anyone before." **_She stated.

"_**So ya say huh? Well let's get outta here, hopefully we'll have answers soon."**_

* * *

Logan felt a massive headache coming on. He was just waking up from what seemed like a rough night of sleep. He wasn't in the cave anymore, that much as certain. The fact he was currently laying on a bed also confused him.

Just what the hell happened last night?

He slowly opened his eyes, only to be met by blurry vision. He sat up and rubbed his right eye with the palm of his hand, yawning as he did so. Whatever happened last night must've been pretty crazy if he was knocked out afterwards.

"_**Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"**_

Lilly popped into view, quickly hovering over to his side. After taking a minute to recollect his thoughts, he looked around and noticed the minimal yet familiar layout of Lilly's room.

"_**Are you well? Do you need anything?"**_

"**Yeah… I need to know if I failed or not."**

The room was silent for an uncomfortably long time, which told Logan everything he needed to know…

"**I knew this shit wouldn't work…"** he thought to himself, irritated no results came out of last night. What added insult to injury was that it looked so promising too. That crazy bright light that came from him last night should've been the ultimate indicator. But alas, no such luck.

"_**Please, don't be so negative towards yourself… It might only be a matter of time bef-**_

"**Might and Before… two words that spell uncertainty. Face it, we have no idea if I'll even gain any powers."**

"_**Not with that attitude… just give it time, you'll get your powers. I promise…"**_

"**Your promise doesn't make me feel any better since you have no control over any of this…"**

Neither of them said anything else for a while. Logan felt that the situation was hopeless, with no reason to keep trying. If it didn't work the first time, then it surely wouldn't the second time, or the third, or fourth…

"**Maybe losing it in battle is they way it's meant to be… if so, I'm never fighting anyone again."**

That was when a light bulb went off in Lilly's head.

"_**THAT'S IT!"**_

"**What's it? What are y-**

"_**You're powers! They'll only manifest once you need them most!"**_

"**If you thinking what I'm thinking then NO!"**

"_**What? But you're so close to what we've been striving for-"**_

"**What YOU'VE been striving for, not me! You guys are the ones who've been pestering me into doing all of this! I have no REAL reason to get involved with whatever you guys have in store in that championship… and besides, you've seen what happens when I get in a fight with someone. What's stopping me from losing it again and hurting someone who didn't deserve it in the process, huh?!"**

"_**But-**_

"**No buts! Why won't any of you just accept the truth! I'm not a battler! I will never be a battler! No matter what happens, I will never support you guys in that stupid god forsaken Championship you all value so much! I can keep you guys company, maybe help around the house, but NEVER will you see ME in front of millions of spectators fighting for some insignificant title that means nothing to me!"**

"_**Logan listen to me pl-**_

"**NO! I will not listen to you!**

"**Not you!**

"**not Allison!"**

"**Not Wildfire!**

"**NO ONE!"**

Lilly lowered her head, trying to keep herself in check… which was proving to be a huge challenge.

"**I'm sick of all of you trying to shape me into something I'm not! If you sent into a fight, I wouldn't be able to control myself! I'd end up losing my shit and probably breaking someone's bones in the pr-**

Lilly snapped, having had enough of this negativity on display from him "_**Maybe for once you should stop looking at it like you'll hurt someone deeply and see it like how everyone else does!"**_

Logan went quiet, not at all expecting Lilly to yell the way she did. "_**You think you'll end up hurting everyone you ever meet! Well guess what, Around here, fighting each other is only natural! When people battle with the help of Pokemon they don't do it with harmful intent! They do it as a way to bond, to help each other become stronger in every facet of life! Battling is the best way to let off steam, to make new friends, to improve yourself! Everyone's a winner even when a battle is lost! And what's going to happen when you encounter a vicious wild Pokemon that hasn't eaten any lunch! They'll kill you!"**_

Logan remained silent, her ranting keeping him from responding in any way shape or form.

"_**And why are you acting like we all have some kind of harmful motives for you?! We chose to let you stay here after you chose to fire a weapon at us! And if we wanted to hurt you, then why did Wildfire choose to NOT beat the ever living heck out of you after what you did to him?! TWICE! Why hasn't Master decided to release you after your little escapade down at the Pokemon center?! It's because we know you're better than that! We understand these few weeks alone are enough to send somebody into insanity! No matter what or who you are!"**_

Logan remained still like a statue, which gave Lilly the definitive clue he was listening to everything she ranted about to him.

"_**But I know the true extent of how much you've suffered in your life! Behind that hardened cage is someone who cares more about others than himself! Someone who will go to great lengths to protect the ones he truly cares about! Someone who is willing to endure any hardship for the sake of everyone else' success and happiness! You may say some nasty things, but you've never acted on them! What does that say about you?! You may have not shown any of it yet, but being a psychic type means I can see things no one else can, and I see all of those traits and more!"**_

"**..."**

"_**From your far and distant past, to your near and distant future! I know who you are as a person! So don't you EVER accuse me, or anyone here of making you into someone you're not! Because all I'm trying to do is prepare you for your inevitable future under Master's guidance! Who should I remind you is doing this for all of our benefit!"**_

Lilly was breathing heavily from exhaustion, having never telekinetically raised her voice like that in a long time. She didn't want to yell the way she did, but at this point what other option was there. Logan never took her seriously, and he never seemed to care about any advice bestowed upon him. She had to get through to him that he should be seeing this as an opportunity, not an obstacle.

As she continued to stare at him, she started to feel heavy with anger. She noticed a familiar shadowy mist build up around Logan, and felt like she may have gotten her point across a little too much.

"**Alright… You want me to join your little battles? FINE! I'LL JOIN YOUR BATTLES! THEN YOU'LL SEE HOW MUCH OF A MISTAKE IT IS!"**

With that she immediately flinched in fear, getting ready to teleport from him in an effort to get away. But as she was getting ready to teleport, she felt a sudden wave of regret wash over her. Now confused on why she was feeling this, she looked back at Logan.

His aura was slowly dissipating right before her eyes, which was definitely a first since he always needed to be held down when this happened. But after seeing him calm down on his own and with no help whatsoever she didn't know what else to expect next.

"_**Logan? Are you well?"**_

Her question was met with a deep breath, followed by his hand touching the back of his forehead. "**You know what… your right."**

Lilly didn't respond, unwilling to admit that she in truth was highly shocked at the quick change on display. Her outburst didn't actually work, did it?

"**I've always been afraid of fighting everyone in fear of causing unnecessary suffering. But I never took into account how tough they'll be compared to me." **Logan lowered his head in defeat, his remaining anger slipping away in favor of shame. He turned around and walked to the bed, plopping himself down on the edge of the mattress. "**I realize that there are much stronger Pokemon out there… and I was an idiot to think I could take on anyone without much resistance."**

Lilly was still silent, opting to let him finish before saying or doing anything. The room was quiet again, with downstairs activity being the only sounds the permeated the area around them.

"**I get that I've been a huge ass lately. I don't mean to be one, it's just that I don't know how to make all of these changes work. I've never figured in my life I would be thrust into this kind of existence, and it's not like there's written guidelines or anything to help see me through."**

"_**I see…"**_

Lilly gently strolled over to the bed and sat down beside him, her left hand resting on his shoulder in a gesture of support. "_**I must admit I haven't been the best helper since you've arrived… I've been trying to help you the same way I helped Saber. But now that you've made your thoughts clear... I see that doing it that way is not the proper way of helping you adjust."**_

"**Adjusting isn't the only issue for me Lilly. I can't see myself fitting into a place like this. I have nothing to give you guys, and I don't feel comfortable fighting someone.**

"_**Why don't you tell me the reasons for your discomfort?"**_

Logan looked up at her. Her gentle smile and kind looking eyes made it difficult for him not to tell her. He took another deep breath.

**"I'm too violent for that kind of thing... You've seen it, everyone's seen it.**"

Lilly understood where he was coming from, and was happy to hear him admit it. The rough and battered shield he had used to protect himself from outside influence now lowering to reveal his kind and much more pleasant side.

**"I**** know you can change it all around, and I'm confident that with sufficient training you'll end up earning everyone's respect and admiration."**

"**You really think so… even after everything I've said and done?"**

"_**Of course! There is so much potential you have both on and off the field, it's truly astounding. You just have to strive to achieve it all, and I'll be there to help you the whole way through."**_

"**Thanks… You really don't know how long it's been since I've had someone say something like that."**

"_**No… thank you for admitting your problems and choosing to allow us all to help. I promise you with my very soul that we will be there for you through thick and thin."**_

"**I'll remember that… really I will."**

"_**I'm happy to hear it."**_

Logan smiled, having not felt like this since before his grandfather died. They proceeded to stare at each other, her sensual gaze meeting his awkward stare. He never usually liked making eye contact with others, but for some reason she was an exception. Her ruby colored wells of joy were highly appealing to him, especially since they always had this slight glow to them. He couldn't deny that she definitely was beau-

Logan jolted back and immediately looked away from her.

"**Did you just try to hypnotize me?!"**

Lilly gasped in horror, realizing her little trick hadn't worked.

"**You did! What the hell!"**

"_**I-I'm sorry it was an accident!"**_

"**Bullshit!"**

"_**Please I won't do it again, it was only to try and kiss y-"**_

"**KISS ME?!"**

"**NoNoNoNo Wait t-that didn't come out right- Oooh I give up..."**

She was blushing a deep crimson, grabbing a nearby pillow and covering her face, squeaking in embarrassment the whole time. Wishing she could teleport away. But she knew that would only earn more mistrust from him, if she hadn't already lost it all again already.

She heard a small sigh from the gallade before she felt a familiar feeling of someone kissing her on the cheek, the whole time facing away all the while from him turning her entire face cherry red in the process. She looked to him, noticing a small yet noticeable smile on his face.

"**You know… It's not like I'm against showing affection or anything."**

She placed a hand on her cheek as a response before letting her own smile form. She couldn't believe it! He just kissed her on the cheek! But right as she thought of returning the favor, the moment would be ruined by a little birdy that had been watching them from outside the window.

"_**Oh my, I think you guys nicked my heart… you gonna kiss each other or not!"**_

Both of them turned towards the window, only to find Snowfield perched on a branch nearby.

"**What the hell?! How long have you been there?!" **Logan asked in surprise.

"_**I was waiting for my ol' friends to arrive when I saw you two making up… can you hurry it up with the romantic stuff I've been waiting here all morning!"**_

A branch snapped off a nearby tree before levitating near the Staraptor. Lilly's eyes were glowing as she caused the snapped branch to hover right next to him. "_**Get out of here or I'll make sure you can't fly for a week!"**_

"_**Pfft… whatever you say, Lilligant."**_ Snowfield quipped before quickly flying away. Lilly got up and raced over to the window, raising her fist up at the bird while he flew away.

"_**AND I TOLD YOU TO NEVER CALL ME THAT! I LOOK NOTHING LIKE ONE!"**_

Logan snickered before offering some advice of his own.

"**You ever thought of censoring everything he says…"**

"_**Oh trust me I've tried. One of his little friends is a psychic type as well so he'll just go and ask that numbskull for help."**_

She groaned in frustration, wishing that eventually she could get some sweet revenge on her galarian feathered friend.

"**Seems like he really cares about that whole relationship thing."**

"_**Believe me when I say that's an understatement…"**_

Lilly closed the window, sighing deeply before turning to face Logan again. "_**Right… Back to what I was saying earlier. Don't give up on yourself. I'm certain there will be a time not too long from now where you will rise to the occasion."**_

"**If you're talking about my so called abilities, then why don't we just wait and see. I'd rather wait for an opportunity to come to me than having to search for one myself."**

* * *

In an unknown location far from peering eyes, a more nefarious plan was under the works. One of which some would say the world had yet to prepare for.

The area was of question was a large mountain, massive in size and far away from any kind of civilization. But inside the mountain was a complex the likes of which would rival the most expensive and complex military compounds.

Many scientists and criminals were stationed here, working around the clock to make the ambitions of their boss a reality. Some did it for cash, others were forced, and many did so in both fear and respect for their evil leader.

And that leader was none other than Giovanni, the leader of team rocket before it officially disbanded. He had done many cruel and downright disturbing acts over the decades, and none of them would amount to his plan at hand. He may have been thwarted by too many heroes to count, but to him it was all in the name of progress of which he would eventually achieve.

He sat at a large desk in the middle of a dome like room, a large single window providing natural light during the day. But during the night when it got dark, he never chose to turn the lights on. No one knew exactly why, but it sure as hell made everyone much more afraid of him when they were called up to see him, especially at night.

The mob boss was expecting a visit from a certain chief scientist, and everybody in a position to retrieve him did NOT want to keep the boss waiting.

A loud beep came over the small speaker located on Giovanni's desk, which he responded to by pressing a small green button next to it.

"What is it…"

A female voice spoke over the speaker, her voice a mixture of wavering fear and assertive compliance.

"_We've retrieved him sir, permission to bring him in?"_

A menacing smile formed on his face. "Permission granted…"

Sliding doors from behind him opened up as two Rocket cronies walked beside a familiar bald Scientist. They looked to be in a hurry to leave, not wanting to stick around for long.

"Dr. Steinbach, I've heard many things about what happened over at research center seven."

The two crooks turned around and hurried over to the doors before exiting, leaving Steinbach at the mercy of Giovanni. The chair the mob boss sat in gently swirled around, revealing a rather tall sitting figure wearing black clothing and slick combed hair.

"So, will you tell me everything that happened…" he asked with a menacingly peaceful demeanor.

"_One of our subjects broke free."_

"Oh I know that… I want to know about the experiment. What exactly did you achieve under Project Omega."

"_..."_

"Silence does not sit well with me when I have a problem that needs to be recaptured. I suggest you hurry up and speak…"

"_Well S-Sir I uh… I-I need a projector to show you the results."_

"Just use the screen behind me… but be quick, I don't have all night."

"_Y-Yes sir."_

Steinbach hastily walked around his boss as he got in front of the desk. He jumpily hurried over to the computer where he proceeded to log in to the secure network. A large green R rotated about on the big screen before quickly loading up an image of a Gallade. The scientist took a breath before pulling out a laser pointer out of his left pocket.

"_Okay… So you see sir, we managed to transform an inter dimensional human being into a Pokemon. I-It sounds preposterous I know, but our research into ultra wormholes has concluded that humans from dimensions without Pokemon are much more suitable for these kind of experiments."_

"And what of the subject… what exactly was his background?"

"_Background? Oh yes sorry… His name was Logan J Ruwell of Dimension 683. This dimension has a very ideologically divided population of over 7 billion people. Many countries are not at war but are still rife with political corruption and civil strife. H-He was raised in a heavily abused family, is confirmed mentally disabled, and-"_

"Why would you bother capturing a person with mental issues…" the mob boss groaned, his thumb and trigger finger covering his forehead.

"_His mental disability is still being debated, as he showed no major drawbacks in abilities and or motor skills. But that's not the important part, the main resolution of why we chose him was that a brain with a mixture of trauma and mental deficiencies was far easier to reshape in our genetic image without losing brain cells."_

"How so…?"

"_How so? W-well you see, a brain with alterations on a traumatic and mental capacity puts up less resistance to change induced by our own machines. We needed this to happen, or else the body would begin to shut down upon the beginning of transformation._

"Interesting, though I thought I told you to keep your work regulated to DNA research and development."

"_I-I'm sorry sir, we had no choice. It also didn't help when the portal's we traveled through ended up causing DNA instability to anyone not of a dimension with Pokemon or Ultra Beasts."_

Giovanni humphed in protest, but figured it would be best to keep his mouth shut. He may be the boss, but he knew that didn't mean he was always right.

"_R-Right… Let's move on."_

"_Me and my colleagues have managed to redesign the basic structure of various species of Pokemon at the most intricate cellular level."_

The Screen changed to show an up close 3D model of the internal tissue and cell structure of a Gallade. Around it showed several other entirely different smaller illustrations of other species of Pokemon, all of which we're showing various close ups of the limbs and torso.

"_In subject 392's case of transformation, we were able to improve how the telekinetic receptors in the brain interact with the nervous system, which is what allowed us the ability to alter the physical makeup of the conduit cells that make up various portions a Gallade's body. We introduced the cells to various genetic alterations, allowing them to bend and harden light using their psychic properties. This works in conjunction with the psychic neural links of the brain, but is most geared towards connection to the brain's Neocortex and Thalamus._

"Bend and harden light… and what of the results?"

"_Unfortunately the subject must learn to harness them before such use can be achieved. The power cannot be underestimated, though we did have to sacrifice some physical speed capabilities of subject 392. So in short we haven't been able to fully test them out, especially since the method of escape employed by 392 was…"_

"Yes? What was it?"

"_Bloody… to put it lightly." _Steinbach shivered as he remembered the gruesome punches he received at the hands of his own creation. The fact this human turned pokemon was capable of properly and efficiently operating firearms still haunted him, especially since it left many professionally trained guards dead."

"Remind me what the original intention of this subject..."

"_Remind you? Oh, of course, I-It was an attempt to create Pokemon that we're more capable than their natural counterparts. Needless to say it was a success. B-But as you may know, sir, when tampering with Pokemon DNA we kind of have a rocky history…"_

"I'm highly aware of that… though are you aware of the consequences of such apparent disregard for protocol involving lost property?"

Steinbach gritted his teeth without bearing them, knowing full well where this was going. He didn't respond, mainly out of fear for what was possibly about to happen to himself.

Giovanni stood up from his desk slowly before withdrawing a master ball from his coat pocket. He looked directly into Steinbach's eyes, intimidating the scientist beyond what he previously thought possible.

When the ball expanded to its full size, Giovanni pressed the middle button. A large white light appeared near him which began to take shape. The figure was an imposing height, taller than both men currently in the room. The outline of a large appendage took form behind the figure before the light started to take color and fade.

The Pokemon that appeared was none other than the infamous Mewtwo… a genetically superior version of the rare creature known as Mew.

The psychic type legendary didn't wait long before immediately grabbing Steinbach via his telekinetic powers, aggressively pushing him into the wall two or three feet off the ground.

"Mewtwo is a powerful creature, and my prized creation. But you see doctor, like me, he doesn't take too kindly to failure… and the punishment for failure isn't something I figure you'd like to find out."

Steinbach struggled about, but was firmly held down by the invisible force that pinned him to the wall.

"But since I'm a man of calculation, and not haste. I shall spare you the pain of being rushed to retrieve him for me. You have three full months to recapture subject 392… if you do then I will happily reward you with another lab to continue your work."

Giovanni turned to Mewtwo, who promptly let Steinbach go from his invisible grasp. The scientist dropped to the floor, his breathing heavy as he struggled to maintain his composure. He quickly got up to face his boss again, only for the Rocket Boss to turn his back towards him. now facing the entrance.

"But if you let me down… then you can promptly say goodbye to that little pet project of yours.

Expect Mewtwo's arrival if that happens. I'll let you figure out the rest."

"_Y-Y-Yes… S-S-Sir…_"

Steinbach quickly fell to his knees, his eyes tearing up from what he had just experienced. He never wanted to work for this madman, and now he was to pay the price if he didn't meet the boss' expectations.

To him, it was all just a horrible repeat of Cinnabar island. Dr. Fuji would have been giving Giovanni an earful right now if he had still been here, since he was the only man Giovanni felt he couldn't ever dispose of. Fuji was way more brilliant than the likes of anyone, but after Cinnabar he was nowhere to be found, presumably killed in the explosion Mewtwo had caused while escaping.

It was a horrifying miracle that the stupid lilac cat was eventually recaptured, especially considering the man power it took to do so.

"_Soon… soon I'll be out of this mess, and I'll be able to reunite with you once more."_


	10. Emotional Semi-Reconciliation

It was currently late at night, and everyone else had already went to bed. Lilly and Logan hadn't felt sleepy yet, and since Nacho was still awake they just decided to join in on watching TV.

Earlier, Logan had managed to convince Allison to get him a two liter bottle of root beer, and since Nacho and Lilly had popcorn it pretty much became a makeshift movie night.

Logan twisted the cap and took a swig from the large plastic bottle while Lilly munched down on a bag of popcorn. She would occasionally offer some of her food, and Logan would in turn let her have a sip of his soda.

At first she only took small sips, but then she started to take gulps, and then those gulps went from one per turn to several… he was out of soda in less than 10 minutes after that.

"**Really Lilly?"**

A small and rather high pitched burp escaped her mouth, causing her to blush in slight embarrassment.

"_**Excuse me…"**_

"**Remind me to never share with you again…"**

The channel they had on was showing a few battles from the previous night, and Logan was actually shocked at the chaos that was happening on screen.

The battle in question was between a Raichu and Steelix, and surprisingly the Steelix was the one winning. The type disadvantage didn't seem to faze the Trainer who battled with it, as the Steel Serpent was extremely agile and constantly would burrow into the ground, denying the Electric mouse a chance to effectively use thunderbolt or any attack among those lines.

"**Damn, that dude's pretty good."**

"_**Oh you haven't seen anything yet… there's a surprise coming up next that I know you don't wanna miss!" **_proclaimed Nacho.

"**What exactly might that be big guy?"**

"_**Watch and see."**_

Lilly rested her head on Logan's right shoulder while resting her arm on his chest. He didn't object to it, but he didn't really seem to acknowledge it either.

His attention was transfixed to the action on screen. He couldn't believe that this is how intense battles could be. Not even the anime or games could portray it like it actually was happening.

The TV had two announcers spectating over the battle, which made sense since battling was, for all intents and purposes, a worldwide popular sport. There were actual health bars located at the bottom, alongside various sponsors and logos. At various points a large transition would happen where the Hoenn National Pokemon League (HNPL) would appear.

It was a little intriguing how similar some parts of this world were to his own. Even the red, white, and blue color pallet of the logo on screen reminded him of the various sports on ESPN.

From what the display at the bottom showed, The Raichu was low on health, indicated by the health bar being red, while Steelix was just above half and still in the green.

"_Ladies and Gentleman it looks like Raichu is getting ready for another thunderbolt, he's charging up a pretty large one at that, it's gonna be the fin- OOOHH! Lord Arceus' have MERCY! And it looks like Steelix just absolutely demolished the little guy with another take down!"_

"_**Oh! Here she comes! Here she comes!" **_Lilly excitedly jumped.

"**Who's co-" **Lilly shushed Logan from continuing his question.

"_But what's this?! It looks like the Champion isn't giving up!"_

"_Well Rick it looks like even if he isn't defending his title he's still just as determined to win every battle he partakes on."_

"_All he has left is one Pokemon! Will he make a comeback in this battle?! Oh Here he goes he sending her out! LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, BOYS AND GIRLS, IT'S RUBY!"_

All of a sudden a poke ball was seen on screen being a blinding red flash of light. The crowd went wild as the pokemon took shape.

Logan's eyes immediately went wide as he choked on the popcorn he still had in his mouth. He continued to choke on it for a second before punching himself in the gut, spitting it out and onto the floor. He couldn't believe what he was seeing on screen.

There, towards the end of the large grassy field on screen, was another Gallade. But what made him question everything was the fact that it was a female, which was given away by the shape of her chest and the curves she sported. She was absolutely ripped in muscle tone and the disc around her waist was tiny compared to his own. There also seemed to be a few scars covering her body here and there.

"**What the fuck?!"**

"_**What is it?! Are you alright?!" **_Lilly asked in concern.

"**Aren't all Gallade's supposed to be guys?!"**

Nacho could be heard chuckling before he turned around. "_**She's the first and only one to be a girl."**_

Logan was utterly dumbfounded by that, raising his left eyebrow and developing an intense curiosity over the Pokemon in question.

"**How did she evolve? What happened to becoming a Gardevoir like all female Ralts eventually do?**

Lilly was the first to speak.

"_**No one knows, but what I do know is that soon, I'll get to meet her in the flesh." **_She had stars in her eyes as she continued to watch the screen, and it was evident that Lilly had come to idolize this Ruby.

"**Jeez, what's so good about her?"**

Lilly gasped, while Nacho rested his head against the back of his chair and sighed. "_**Oh boy, here we go…"**_

"_**That's right, you've never heard of her haven't you?! She's won the Hoenn Championship fifteen times, and she's never been defeated! She's a real battling goddess!"**_

Logan's stomach sank after hearing Lilly's little explanation…

"**Wait… Doesn't that mean if we enter the championship you'll have to eventually go up against her?"**

Nacho chimed in, his head still laid back against the backrest of his chair.

"_**We've tried telling her that she needs to prepare herself more. But she keeps cheering over hot stuff there on TV. It's another one of the reasons Allison up here decided to find a sixth member to our little family… and why Fire's been trying to convince you to take up fighting lessons."**_

Logan sighed and lowered his eyes… he now had a good idea on just how bleak everyone's chances of winning really looked.

"**Lovely, looks like you guys lost before we've even left the house."**

"_**I wouldn't say that kiddo… think of it more as a hard fought Pyrrhic victory."**_ Nacho pointed out. He was obviously thinking the same thing.

"**What? Isn't a Pyrrhic victory when one side wins but with more sacri-**

"_**Whoa, Hey, take it easy there champ, don't go saying things that don't keep us motivated here, got it?"**_

"**Fine whatever floats your boat, I guess…"**

As the trio watched the battle unfold, It looked like Ruby would become the winner. She had already beat the Steelix while they were talking and the next Pokemon she was facing was Gengar, which everyone knew was at type disadvantage.

This was reinforced by what looked to be a powerful blow dealt to the Gengar, who went flying into a rock as it smashed to pieces from the impact.

"_Oh watch out, watch out, watch out OOOOHH! Gengar is down for the count with just one Psycho Cut! It's now a one versus one! And it looks like Champion Brendan has made a major comeback!_

"**Hmph… Looks like shit just got real there."**

"_**Why must you always talk like that so much? Don't you have any control over what you say?" **_Lilly asked.

It became clear to him she didn't like it, and so like any sane person his age he persisted. If there was one guilty pleasure he enjoyed, it was making the offended more angry because of words he felt meant nothing in the long run.

"**Nope, and I don't plan on stopping. So you're just gonna have to get used to it."**

Lilly just rolled her eyes before returning her attention to the televised battle.

The last Pokemon that the challenger sent out was a Magmorter, which was sure to make a good finally. While the audience cheered in excitement for what was to come. The camera zoomed in on Brendan, who was visibly sweating in concern.

"**Looks like the champion's done for…"**

Lilly was confident Logan would come to eat those words. She knew of the potential Ruby and her trainer held in battle… and then an idea came to her head.

"_**Just watch and you'll see, they'll come through on this one."**_

"**Wanna bet on it?"**

Lilly raised her eyebrows in confidence. There was only one word she could think of to describe the situation.

"_**Bingo…"**_

"_**If they lose, I'll make sure Master buys you another bottle of Soda. But if I win, You have to kiss me again, and this time it's where I can kiss you back."**_

Logan jerked his attention directly at her, with both of them blushing. Her eyelids were lowered, while her hands were clasped together in her lap. She was still leaning up against him, and the smile on her face screamed danger to him. He looked very shy, and was visibly uncomfortable with her bet proposal.

"**N-never mind, forget I asked..."**

Lilly raised herself off him, upset her plan didn't pull through. "_**What? B-But you said you weren't against showing affection."**_

"**As friends Lilly, not what you're thinking."**

Her eyelids lowered even further as she decided to rest her head on the right arm of the couch, now on the opposite end of where Logan sat. He was still watching the battle, and seemed to take no mind in how Lilly felt at the moment.

Not that he absolutely had too, keep in mind. But it would have been nice on Lilly's behalf.

"_AND THERE IT IS FOLKS! BRENDAN HAS WON ANOTHER BATTLE!"_

"_Let me tell ya Richard I'm amazed on the winning streak this man has been accumulating!"_

"_You got that right Rick, there really is no stopping this team!"_

"_Oh man! I can't wait for those 3 weeks to pass! That battle has me already on the edge of my seat waiting for that Championship!"_

Lilly stared at the screen one more time. Ruby was next to Brendan, her arm held up by his own. They looked very proud of each other, and from what Lilly guessed they would be even harder to beat this year.

But that's not what she was worried about. She couldn't care if she and everyone else lost. Her mind was in other places. To her, the fact they won had signified her loss… she was so close to what she wanted, and yet it was suddenly ripped away from her.

"_**Hehe, looks like you we're right Lil'... seems Logan was one step ahead of you though."**_

"_**Yeah… nice of you to point that out Nacho…"**_

Logan got up from the couch and stretched his back. He had a feeling Nacho was going to try and comfort her. It's what usually happened when he denied Lilly's advances. At this point he was kind of used to it, he knew they only did it to keep her in high spirits.

"**I'll be upstairs…"**

Logan looked at Nacho, who nodded in acknowledgement at what was going on. Lilly on the other hand didn't even glance at him, choosing instead to turn over and lay down facing the other direction. He didn't want to be there just in case things got a little heated. They usually didn't, but he learned from life experiences that time worked to make situations like this more unstable.

He went quietly up the stairs, which was followed by the sound of a door closing. Nacho turned to look back at Lilly. It didn't take another psychic to realize how much she was upset over how close she was to "sealing the deal" so to speak.

"_**You know Lil'... it's pretty obvious at this point you're attempts aren't working."**_

She was still quiet, once again choosing to not make a sound.

"_**I got it, How about you be upfront about it and stop being so shy around him."**_

"**As much as I'd like to Nacho, it is not of any worth to try and persuade him. He's already proven to be someone with a noticeable lack of social values. He wouldn't see my words as meaningful as much as he should."**

"_**Well it could be that… or he could be testing you."**_

Lilly's confused glance told the fighting type everything he needed to know.

"_**You know for a Gardevoir, you really need to work on that keen eye for emotions your kind's known for… Anyway, I've been seeing some strange behavior on his end. What with the blushing and the ever dwindling resistance to us."**_

"**What is it you're trying to say to me?"**

"_**I'm saying he's got some kind of observation going on in his head. He watches us and listens to us and puts us through a mental checklist. The only problem is his age…and his human like tendencies."**_

"**What do those have to do with my feelings for him?"**

"_**Oh come on Lil' I know you understand where this is going. If you think about how similar he is to human males around his age, you'd see just how differently you need to express your interest in him."**_

"**You don't think I've been doing that?"**

"_**To be honest… you haven't been doing a good job at it. You must understand that he is not comfortable with how quickly you've attached yourself to him. Maybe you should try and make him see the reasons behind the feelings."**_

"**Wht do you propose I do then, hmm?"**

"**If you can explain to him how much he means to you without sounding sudden and needy, then he has a much easier chance to open up. Once that happens I figure you'll have it from there…"**

There was a long silence before she got up from the couch. She smiled at Nacho and nodded her head in thanks before levitating up the stairway. She wanted Logan to realize the extent of how far she was willing to go to show how much she wanted him, and at this point she didn't want to take no for an answer.

As she opened the door to her room, she was surprised to find Logan standing right in front of her. His eyes looked into her own with an icy stare she couldn't help but look away from. He had definitely heard everything downstairs.

"**So… you gonna explain how "special" I am to you?"**

He crossed his arms and put more pressure onto his right foot, displaying to her that this whole thing was something he was already expecting.

Lilly closed the door behind her, not wanting to disturb the rest of the house with her confession.

"_**I just wish you could see how much I want you to be a part of my life… how much I'm willing to sacrifice to be with you until death. Is it really that hard for you too see?"**_

"**Well I'm sorry, but love and family are two words that I have no positive connections too. I don't believe in them, plain and simple."**

"_**What?"**_

"**You heard me… Love and family is like the Hemlock and Cyanide of emotions."**

She caught her breath after hearing that… She definitely wasn't expecting him to suddenly admit that to her. It made things a whole lot harder for her to considering she was trying to earn equal affection.

"**They are both the catalyst for pain and suffering that can't be controlled. They are lies that are put in place to unfairly justify neglect. If you embrace them, they'll swoop in for the kill… and the wounds never heal."**

"_**You really think that?"**_

"**I KNOW that."**

"_**That's… That's awful."**_

"**Only as awful as you think it is… I for one believe it is a guideline that's helped me avoid many problems."**

"_**And created many more…"**_

"**What do you know… you've never seen the bad side of it all. I've lived through it my whole life."**

Lilly shook her head slowly, her eyes narrowing in slight disgust over his revelation.

"_**Everyone needs a special someone else in there lives. Without companionship you'll… you'll never feel complete."**_

Logan just scoffed in protest. He couldn't believe she'd assume such crazy ideas. He didn't NEED anyone! He was always the oddball of any crowd, so being a loner was all but a part of his life.

"**On the contrary… I'm as complete as life will permit me to be. I don't need to be dragged down by simple emotions."**

"_**How could you say that?! Many souls have been lost over being disconnected with how they feel…"**_

"**You saying that is exactly why I don't acknowledge them. Embracing my feelings will only lead to further depression than I'm already dealing with."**

The room went quiet again. Not a peep could be heard throughout the house, creating a tense atmosphere that didn't sit well with Lilly. Logan assumed she was unable to muster a response, and so turned his attention to the bed before suddenly hearing her speak up.

"_**What happened to you was the exception… not the norm."**_

With his back still turned he stopped and looked at her. He picked up her attempt at continuing the talk from another angle, and tried to shoot it down in his own attempt to end the conversation.

"**I don't care what the situation was. It is what it is and I'm not gonna be fooled by it again."**

"_**But you're not anywhere near that horrid place anymore. Those people you've known and feared are gone now… You're safe from that."**_

She was desperate for his embrace at this point. She wanted him to accept her for what she saw in him. But so far it looked like he was going to remain steadfast in his ways.

"**No I'm not! You're just saying that to butter me up! You see, I won't you let take advantage of me with your so called love! With how quickly you've started this whole act it's obvious you want something from me!"**

He got close to her and pointed in her face. She remained still, not reacting to his aggressive gestures.

"**Well guess what! I'm not gonna let you take advantage of me! I know your stupid game, and I'm not going to fall for it!"**

Lilly was appalled… never in her life would she have EVER thought she'd find someone saying these things. Let alone thinking that way.

To think that anyone who cares for you only cares for you out of their own benefit? To her it was like a crime that needed to be solved. She had to show him he was wrong.

"_**I can't believe you think that about me…."**_

"**What else am I supposed to think? The logic is written all over it..."** he retorted angrily.

"_**You really feel I'm out to hurt you? To accept you as my mate for the sole reason of making your life more miserable?"**_

Logan glared directly at her. She could tell he felt EXACTLY that.

"_**You're Wrong!"**_

Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She couldn't cope with the thought of living a life without love or family. The very thought of it yanked at her heart with unending savagery. More so when she realized that her thoughts were his reality.

"**Not when you have seen and felt the shit I've gone through..."**

"_**I don't need to have been through any of that to know what you think of me is false! If you really find me as someone who does that, then I have no problem proving to you how wrong it is to think of everyone like that!"**_

"**Alright then! Fucking do it! Go on! Try me!"**

Things weren't looking good. She stopped talking to calm down before she said anything harmful. Logan on the other hand was staring directly at her, his arms crossed and his foot tapping. He was waiting for and answer, and he had successfully put her on the spot.

But she wasn't going to let intimidation get in the way of how she felt. She only wanted to speak from the heart. Their was no hidden agenda in her mind, only the reasons for why she had fallen for him. He was a Negative Nancy sure, but so was Saber at first. The only difference between the two was that unlike Saber, Logan had moments where his innocent and good natured spirit shined through.

She took some time to recollect her thoughts. She had time, she knew she did.

She remembered how Saber was good to her, but since he was a wild Pokemon at birth and a strong battler, he naturally was a bit more aggressive to everyone and he never really gave her much say in anything. No one ever really worried over this though since she didn't mind it, it was just the natural order of things.

But Logan…he was much different. She had seen his future, and his past. She knew that if she could convince him she had no ill intentions, he would be a much more easygoing and fun loving person to be around.

Though contrary to popular belief and descriptions in those strange talking devices humans always carried, it was highly dangerous for her mental health to see into the far future. All she really saw in the future was her and him happily embracing and kissing each other on the very bed behind him right now. She knew that this was destined to happen, her psychic instincts screamed so.

It was then that she had found the right words for what she wanted to say to him.

"_**Do you know how often I've wished to have been there for you? To get you out of the wretched place? Ever since you showed me what those two humans did to you I've had nightmares just thinking about."**_

"**Yeah well you couldn't have do-"**

"_**But you're not there anymore. You have friends here who are more than willing to see you as their brother, their best friend, their equal. You are safe here, and I can assure you that what happened to you as a child will NEVER happen ever again."**_

"**You don't know th-"**

"_**Deep down, All you seek is someone who will look past all of your flaws to see who you really are… and who you are is someone that I find to be perfect in his own way."**_

"**..."**

She sensed something coming from him. A feeling she hadn't felt from him before. It was that kind of feeling that she had felt when she first found him. The feeling she had lacked when Saber died…

Closure… She was picking up faint traces of closure. She could feel the padlock to the iron cage in his heart slowly breaking, his emotions seeking to reconcile with him. But she had a ways to go, and she wasn't going to give up when she was this close.

Logan was caught off guard by her admittedly wholesome words… but why was she saying these things. Surely there was a hidden agenda somewhere that he wasn't seeing.

"_**The things you've been through were not fair, they were just cruel and evil. You aren't any of those. You are a very strong soul to have gone through all of these things and still be here. I admire you for that…"**_

Now Logan was clueless what to think…

"_**The things you can do are amazing in my eyes, and it's those quirks that make you so charming to me."**_

"**S-Stop…"**

"_**You're not afraid to be yourself, even in the face of change you stand firm. That is a quality many females in my kind seek, and I'm lucky to have found you when I did."**_

"**I-I said quit it…"**

He had never heard someone tell him this many good things about himself in such a short time frame. He thought he was the only one who knew himself. But here was Lilly proving him otherwise, and he didn't know what to do or how to act… he was speechless.

"_**Under that tough exterior is a rare and irreplaceable individual who many can only dream of having the privilege to call their lover."**_

Logan's chest began to feel weird. He looked down and noticed the spike become more smooth and warm. He felt a rush of something he couldn't describe, but yet it felt so welcoming. He'd felt it before, but couldn't remember when or why.

Lilly could now feel much stronger emotions radiating from him. She felt her heart skip a beat as she picked up traces of the very emotion she was hoping for. The emotion she had striven to see emerge within him. It was buried under an ocean of mixed reception, with every conceivable emotional feeling beginning to leak out from within the metaphorical cage in his chest.

"_**I have no interest in such horrible things you seem to think are the norm… and to think that you feel that way about me hurts so much it's unbearable."**_

Lilly slowly grabbed him by his back and pulled him in, tightly holding him a hug he couldn't resist. He didn't know why, but he didn't fight it.

"_**I want to be with you because I want to share my life with you. I want to spend every waking moment in your arms, seeing you with that cute smile I can't resist. I want to be there when you're happy, when your upset, when you need a helping hand… everything."**_

"**N-no… i-its… all lies…"**

"_**I want you to be my mate not because of Saber, or because of terrible desires. I want you to be my mate because I know you're capable of making me happy. I want you because you're YOU!"**_

"_**Never will I make you cry, or give up on you, or hurt you over anything."**_

Another rush of that warm soothing feeling came over him, this one stronger than the last. Just what the hell was this feeling? Why did he feel like he was about to cry? What was all of this? Was she trying to hypnotize him again? No, it couldn't be… he wasn't feeling that buzzing in the back of his head when she'd tried it before. This wasn't right she was just making this all up, there was no way she was ACTUALLY seri-

"_**I love you… and that will never change."**_

…

…

...

The world froze around him for a second after she said that. He felt as though no sound was coming through to him. His breathing became ragged. Tears began to leak, dropping on the floor and some onto her shoulder. He closed his eyes trying to make it stop. The strange feeling was overtaking him.

"**Y-You… w-what?"**

"_**I love you… with all my being."**_

There it was again, even more powerful than the last. His chest was pounding. His mind became hazy, and he began to sniffle. He grit his teeth, trying to take deep ragged breaths as he began to tremble slightly.

"**I… I… d-don't…"**

"_**I'm here… I'll always be here."**_

Another powerful wave of that feeling crashed into him with even more impact than the last few. He was visibly sobbing now. His hands seemingly returning her embrace without him even realizing it. He was overwhelmed with emotions. What the hell was going on?!

His chest began to glow a faint reddish orange, a reaction Lilly's own spike replicated with a more vivid pinkish red. All of a sudden, he felt her body completely against his own. He could feel nothing but a warm and overwhelmingly pleasant sensation inside his body. He slowly looked down he saw the most amazing yet jaw dropping sight he'd ever seen hands down.

Both his and Lilly's spikes were phased into each others bodies. The light of which was making their entire bodies glow. Even his tears were now laced with a slight pinkish color. He felt his mind becoming scrambled with things he never felt before.

And before he knew it, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't stop thinking about what she had said to him. He suddenly wanted to hear it again. He couldn't get enough of it."

"_**I love you… and don't you ever think otherwise."**_

That was his breaking point. He grabbed her close and hugged her tighter than he had ever hugged anyone before. His crying was now in full swing. He couldn't believe it. Someone who loved him for who he was. Someone who had confidence in him. Someone who thought he could change into the person he wanted to be.

He had suppressed his emotions for so long that he had all but failed to realize the kind of people he was with. He had been lost in the darkness of hate and neglect, and yet he never even figured he needed a way out. But now he realized just how wrong he was. Now he could finally have someone to talk too when he was feeling down.

He pulled Lilly in even tighter, now slightly pushing his head into her shoulder, his wet and glossy red eyes the only things on his face remaining visible from behind her. He never had a shoulder to cry on, and now that he had one he couldn't let go. It was like he was afraid she would disappear forever, like this was a dream he never wanted to wake up from.

"**I… I… I… I'm… I… I…"**

Between each attempt at thinking out his response was heavy and shaky breaths.

She started to hum a beautiful, slow and soothing tune. They slowly made there way to the bed, with her laying on top of him as he continued to cry.

He looked into her eyes, and saw her own eyes had closed. She was deep in the moment, wishing to savor every passing moment holding him.

...

...

...

**"Hold up..."**

_**"What is it? Are you alright?"**_

Logan sighed before gently pushing her off him. She gave him a slightly saddened glance, which he knew was because of what almost happened.

**"Alright... You made your point. But if... uhhh... you really... uh, care that much... man is it getting hot in here?"**

Lilly could visibly see and psychically feel how uncomfortable he was. This showed just how foreign these kind of interactions were for him. She chuckled a little... it was kind of cute really.

**"This is awkward... uhhh..."**

He was slightly rocking back and forth, and his mind was panicking on what to do next. He never saw himself as the kind of person to "romantically involved" with anyone... and the fact that it was a Pokemon he was dealing with definitely made things ever the more frightening.

**"Look Lil' I uhh... It's just... Jesus, how can I put this..."**

Lilly immediately froze. She had a bad feeling on where this was all going.

**"Well here's the problem... I'm a human."**

Lilly raised one of her eyebrows in confusion.

**"Let me rephrase that. I'm a human on the inside..."**

_**"What are you implying?"**_

**"I'm implying, Lilly, That us being together simply wouldn't work. You, are a Pokemon by birth. I, am a human from birth. Therefore..."**

Lilly just stared at him, her stone faced expression making Logan chuckle nervously. This whole thing was so strange to him.

**"Therefore, I have... god this is really gonna sound so wrong... I have..."**

_**"What? What is it?"**_

**"I have... more interest in human girls?" **His arms raised up in a shrug as he was unsure if she would take that too kindly.

There was a long and foreboding silence that only served to raise his anxiety... Having a healthy social life would have really came in handy right about now.

_**"I see... I should have realized this would be an issue."**_

Now it was Logan who raised an eyebrow up.

**"_Would you prefer if we took it slow? To give you more time to appreciate someone like me?"_**

Logan immediately got what she was asking.

**"Are you asking me to go on a date?"**

_**"What is a date?"**_

Logan's eyes widened at the blunt question. But then again this whole situation to him was, as his old friend Riley would have put it, ass-backwards.

**"You know what... Fine, I'll... uhh..."**

There was a sudden shift of emotions in the room. He could feel a large sense of Joy fill him to the brim... most likely coming from Lilly.

**"Let's just see how everything works out first okay?"**

Lilly lowered her head and chuckled, her smile wide as she could sense how shy both of them were.

_**"Fine enough for me."**_


	11. Psychic Type Abuse

**Sorry about the later than usual update... I took a nap and woke up to find that I had slept for over 7 hours. But I was able to finish the chapter JUST in time to meet the date still, even if it was 11:40PM where I am. Either way sorry for the minor inconvenience, ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

**Also the beginning kind of skips around the setting a little bit, don't worry it was on purpose.**

* * *

Three days...

three days left until the trip.

Logan couldn't be any more conflicted. He was excited for the aftermath, which mean't he'd be free. But everything else involved with it, mainly the trip itself, wasn't something he considered to be at all enticing. Long rides were never his forte, and having most likely share with five other Pokemon and a questionably skilled trainer was a problem all in of itself.

On another note...

While that night with Lilly didn't end in the way she wanted, it did help in repairing some of the damage to Logan's mental psyche. Aggressive episodes were much less common, and more tame when Lilly was around, though mainly because she was always willing to pull him aside and explain things when he misinterpreted them...

Lilly had been observing him ever since they first met, and yet he still seemed to either surprise or intrigue her. She had noticed many odd characteristics with him that seemed out of place, even for someone so inclined with human tendency's. At first she thought it was from all the stress and drama, but as they persisted she realized that wasn't the case. There were too many odd instances for her to count.

It didn't help that his emotions seemed to be throttled on a level she had all but never seen before. For a person who had always made an effort to suppress whatever he felt, it was a shock how over the top he was when he did let his feelings out. Where most were happy, he was ecstatic. Where many got angry, he got furious. There seemed to be NO in between for him when communicating. For Lilly along with the rest her species this was normal, but this was NOT something typical of a Gallade. They were mostly known for there reserved, honor bound behavior... He was the complete opposite. His emotional power effected her more than everyone else combined in the house. His positive emotions basically supercharged her in almost every conceivable positive way, and his negative ones weakened to a point where she could barely function.

He did seem to get along better with Nacho compared to anyone else though. Probably due to the Machamp's undying interest in those games. A week of Logan playing them in front of him had basically turned the muscle clad Pokemon into even more of a couch potato than he already was. But hey, an extra working TV in the house would mean she herself could finally watch those singing competitions she never had a chance to watch since he joined the family.

Those lesson's she and Wildfire had planned for Logan hadn't been forgotten. A couple nights ago all three of them agreed to try one last time at the cave. Logan had even given them a name for it, much to Lilly and Wildfire's appreciation. Training Cove was what they'd end up calling it from that point forward.

* * *

Lucy and Lilly were chilling out at the pond by the abandoned shed, with Lilly's mind swimming in turmoil. They were expecting a new member to the family...

One which was expected for over 9 months... One which she was forced to help create... One which she had the task of raising once he arrived.

She couldn't have felt any more dreadful... But she tried playing it all off. She needed to act like nothing was wrong, that way no one would feel worried. Lucy was swimming around in the pond, with Lilly sitting on a rock on the edge.

_**"So, How'd you and Hard head manage to hit it off?"**_

**"I wouldn't say we hit it off... but I do think he's on the path to betterment."**

Lucy snickered before letting herself float on her back in the water. Oh how good it was to not have to worry about the heat, both physically and relations wise.

_**"You think he's still got a grudge against me?"**_

**"Can't say, but at least he and Nacho managed to find some kind of common ground."**

_**"Oh please, Muscles get's along with pretty much everyone."**_

**"I guess you are right... though I can't help but wonder what kind of things those two will get up to.****"** Lilly asked, looking towards the house in the process.

_**"I bet there playing that game again... it's all they've been doing."**_

**"Again? I doubt it..."**.

* * *

**"COME ON DUDE HIT THE BOX!"**

_**"I AM HITTING IT!"**_

The bottom half of the TV screen showed a hand holding a knife repeatedly swiping across the screen, hitting a wooden box in the process. Golden question marks could be seen on the top of the wooden rectangular crate.

**"NO YOU IDIOT! HOLD X! HOLD X!**

Nacho pressed the button on his controller, the box on screen opening up and playing a musical toy box tune while cycling through various weapons that Nacho had never seen before.

**_"WHAT IN ARCEUS' NAME IS THAT CREEPY THING!"_**

**"JUST HURRY UP AND GRAB IT! I CAN'T HOLD THEM BACK MUCH LONGER!"**

Strange men with yellow glowing eyes we're running at them awkwardly as ghastly screams and shrieks filled the speakers of the TV. Automatic gunfire was then heard as the top screen showed a boxy and bulky machine gun mowing them down as they got closer.

**"THROW IT!"**

_**"WHAT BUTTON?!"**_

_**"OH GOD DAMMIT! THE ONE ABOVE THE LEFT TRIGGER!"**_

"LET'S BE FRIENDS!" could be heard as Nacho threw some creepy monkey thing on the ground. Joyful toy music could be heard as the men with glowing eye's ran towards the little toy.

"GET READY FOR A SURPRIIIIIISE!"

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the screen as everything nearby was killed in the blast. An electric guitar played before an eerie choir signified the next round.

_**"**_**Of course... with this upgraded wunderwaffle it only takes one shot to kill 10 of them!"**

_**"Fair enough... but what happens when you're out of ammo?"**_

**"Simple... I start a train."**

Nacho was confused with that answer, raising his eyebrow up to show it.

**"I run around and bunch them together while killing them."**

_**"Ah gotcha... WATCH OUT THE'RE COMING!"**_

**"BRING IT ON!"**

* * *

**"There probably just taking a nap... Both of them we're up all night playing that thing." **Lilly said to herself. It's not like they really did much else either. Logan hadn't come out of his shell enough for more of his interests to show. So for now everyone knew him for his sheer, borderline unhealthy addiction to those games. Well that, and his now feared bouts of anger.

_**"Yeah maybe... but hey, you gotta admit Lil', at least he's brought something to keep everyone occupied."**_

**"Indeed, I just hope it's not all he's interested in..."**

Lucy stopped floating on her back and swam over to Lilly. She rested her head in her paws on the large stone, seeking to understand what was the matter.

_**"Hey, what's gotcha so down in the dumps? Aren't you happy he calmed down?"**_

**"Of course I am, but we all know he's... uh, how does one put this?"**

Lilly raised her eyebrow, wishing for Lilly to continue.

**"I just wish that he'd less time on that machine and more time with me..."**

_**"You seek more attention from him? Doesn't he already talk to you the most?"**_

**"No that's not it Lucy I... I just wished I hadn't rushed things so quickly."**

_**"But aren't Gardevoir's and Gallade's known for making lightning quick relations that last a while? I mean, that's one of the big advantages of being a psychic type right? To know mostly everything about the significant other without the hassle of spending time together?"**_

**"You are indeed correct, but there's just one tiny detail you're seeming to forget."**

Lucy looked at the shiny Gardevoir for a moment before realizing what she meant.

_**"Ah, I get it... No mind reading means you know everything about him, but he know's nothing about you."**_

**"Precisely..."**

There was a long silence followed by a deep sigh on Lucy's end.

_**"Hey, it's not your fault... That's just how your kind does things. It's not like you knew a better way to do it. I mean, it's not like he's got something against you either."**_

Lilly smiled before floating up and standing upright, her kind gaze at Lucy earning an even deeper smile from the blue jackal. The talk had helped, that much was for sure. But the new arrival would be there soon, and she'd have to keep a clear mind if she wanted things to go smoothly.

**"Come, The young one will be here soon..."**

Lucy's eye's widened as her ears perked up, her face full of excitement as her tail started to wag a little bit.

_**"The child's coming?! Does that mean..."**_

**"Indeed... He just hatched a few days ago."**

_**"He? How do you already know?"**_

Lilly placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows, while lowering her eyelids.

_**"Right, got it. You psychics and your connections..."**_

**"Yet it is no different from how you use your Aura abilities Lucy."**

Lilly put on a smile as she said that, but deep down the fact that her child was on it's way home sent a very different memory into her mind... A dark memory, on which no one knew, and hopefully would never find out.

* * *

_**"**_**COME ON NACHO WE CAN MAKE IT!"**

_**"I'M DOWNED! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO!"**_

The two had been on that specific game for over an hour, playing and being engrossed in the combat. Everything had been going well for Logan, but Nacho had a tendency to get himself trapped in the corners, which allowed the zombies in game to kill him without much effort. The characters were the only thing keeping Nacho playing, since he seemed to really enjoy the, as he puts it, "funny vodka man with a weird accent."

**"Aaaand I'm dead... Damn Nacho, for you're first time you did pretty well."**

_**"Really?"**_

**"NO! 28 DOWNS?! I'VE SEEN 10 YEAR OLD'S DO BETTER THAN THAT!" **Logan exclaimed, his mental voice booming with energy while he laughed out loud... or at least as loud as being physically voiceless would allow.

_**"No need to be a jerk about it..." **_Nacho mumbled, crossing all four of his arms and looking the other way.

**"Oh relax, just play it some more and you'll get better. Just don't be breaking my controllers..."**

_**"You're still mad about that?"**_

**"Not mad, just very cautious."**

All of a sudden the door bell rang, followed by what sounded like muffled chatter from a man talking to someone else. Logan and Nacho both looked at the door, wondering who it could be.

_"COMING! Ooohh I'm so excited! Lilly's gonna be so happyyyyy!" _Allison squealed towards the end in excitement.

She came running down the stairs, rushing to the door and stopping just in front of it. She then gave a look at the back entrance in the kitchen before turning her attention to Logan. She looked at him for a long time, making the gallade feel a little uncomfortable but nonetheless even more curious on who lay beyond the other side of that door.

She opened the door to reveal a man around the same age as her. He was wearing sunglasses along with a green T-shirt, and khaki cargo pants. He was bald, which made his head almost shine in the sunlight. There was a little Pokemon in his arms, which was the reason why Nacho suddenly got up from the couch.

"Hey Alice!" The man called out. His voice was smooth and average in pitch. The typical look of an average looking man.

_"Come on in Mick! I'm so happy you're here!" _

Allison smiled as she opened up the door, letting Mick walk inside the house. Logan got a better look at the little Pokemon in his arms. It was a Ralts, no larger than the size of a newborn baby. It was wide wake, as he could see the large red eyes under the "bowl cut" that covered over most of it's face.

_"Bless Arceus, he's so cute!"_

A rush of air suddenly hit them all from behind, and where it originated from is where Lilly suddenly appeared, having teleported with Lucy as she also appeared next to her. Allison looked at Lilly and smiled.

_"Lilly Look! He's here! You're-"_

Lilly's face became scrunched as tears ran down her cheek, her mind telling her that this wasn't meant to be... She was upset that she couldn't bring herself to be that motherly figure this new life in Mick's arms needed. But...

They didn't know, no one did. She couldn't ever bring herself to face the reality of it all.

Logan stood up and looked directly at her. He could tell she was hiding something. Why else would a Pokemon known for treating there young ones so well suddenly show signs of resentment?

**"Lil' what's going on? You're acting weird?"**

Everyone looked at Logan, surprised at his sudden show of concern. Lilly however was horrified, for she understood that it would take a miracle to get around his observant perception skills. She quickly grabbed his arms and before once again teleported, catching the Gallade off guard as they both disappeared out of sight.

* * *

The atmosphere around them was tense, and the room felt like it was smaller than before. The door was locked, and the windows was boarded off. They we're both back in her room, and as soon as they teleported Logan knew he was in for some major drama.

Lilly was visibly afraid, her body trembling as she sat down on the bed. Logan was leaning up against the wall, his expression stone cold yet intent on listening to whatever she was going to say. She needed to get this all off her chest, both metaphorically and physically.

**"Lilly if you got something to say then tell me... I can tell you're hiding s-**

_**"It's all a**_** lie..."** She blurted out quietly. Her head lowering further as she started to confess what happened to her.

**"What? What's that supposed to m-**

_**"Saber... it's all a lie..."**_

...

...

...

_**"He was never who Wildfire said he was... He wasn't like that at all..."**_

Logan was absolutely stunned with this sudden confession. Had he been lied to? What did this mean? Why was he even being told this?

_**"We only acted happy around each other because I was threatened..."**_

The room was silent now, not even the sound of chatter downstairs was heard. It was as if the world stopped revolving and froze in time.

_**"H-He told *Sniffle* told me t-that if..."**_

Logan stood up straight and got close to Lilly... He had a horrible feeling on where this was going. Lilly was visibly breaking down, her very emotional aura suddenly filling and overburdening with sadness and regret.

_**"I-If I told anyone what happened... *Sniffle*" **_Her voice wavered even further as she started to sob.

**_"W-what happened... he would ruin everything..."_**

Logan knelt down, which allowed Lilly to grab him and pulled him close. She ended up burying her face into her shoulder as she wept, and wept she did. Her cries and wails we're both physical and telepathic, proving that she was in severe mental pain over what had happened.

_**"A-At first he was good to me and acting kind and treating me like the gallade of my dreams and-"**_

**"Hey, slow down alright? I'm not going anywhere okay? Take a moment... gather you're thoughts.**

Lilly continued to cry as wave upon wave of dreadful sadness filled both of them to the brink. Logan was trying his best to hold it in, but that didn't stop a few tears of his own from forming.

_**"H-He thoroughly read my mind, only to exploit me for the weak one I am..."**_

Logan remained still, unable to think of a way to truly comfort her right now. He never dealt with situations like this, and frankly he never was good with providing a shoulder to cry on.

**"He started acting rough with me, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me to him... then he started grabbing my neck... then my hair... All because I wanted him to stop being so mean."**

**"Lilly I..."**

**"T-Then... Then... He started to beat me, his powers to much for me to defend myself..."**

Jesus Christ! She was beaten with elemental powers?! Logan couldn't even bring himself to imagine the world of pain Lilly went through because of that... But yet his brain, always willing to work against him, put the images in is head.

Where had he heard that kind of helplessness before... Oh yeah, that's right.

**"Lilly I'm... I'm... So... I'm so sorry."**

He couldn't understand why she hid this from everyone, or how that rat bastard managed to play everyone like a fiddle. But he wasn't ready for what he heard next...

_**"He defiled me... b-broke me... abused me into becoming the brood of his offspring..."**_

Logan pulled her in even tighter out of instinct, his eye's shrinking as he froze to comprehend what she just admitted...

...

She was raped... beaten... her emotions shut down. The whole fucking triangle besieged upon her, and yet she couldn't really do anything about it.

_**"I didn't want to tell everyone because If I did, he promised to kill everyone... I'm so worthless... No one would ever see me as family if they found out.**__**"**_

Logan immediately let go and stood up... Hearing her say that was enough to send him over the edge. His dark aura started to form, and rage started to fill the room as her emotional turmoil fueled his anger.

**"NO! FUCK THAT! DON'T YOU SAY THAT! YOU HEAR ME! DON'T EVER LET ME CATCH YOU SAYING THAT!"**

Lilly gasped in fear as she reeled back, completely shocked by his sudden flip into rage.

**"YOU CAN'T JUST DISMISS ABUSE! YOU DON'T EVER LET YOURSELF BECOME A VICTIM! LOOK WHAT IT DID TO ME!"**

Lilly suddenly felt an odd and almost out of place sense of something, a small positive feeling welling up within her.

**"IF YOU THINK YOU'RE MASTER WOULD HAVE LET THAT SLIDE THEN THINK AGAIN! THE ONLY REASON THEY STILL THINK OF HIM POSITIVELY IS BECAUSE HE SCREWED WITH THEIR MINDS!"**

Lilly was frozen, unable to muster a response. But despite all of that, she felt even more tears leak down her face, and her cheeks started to feel tight as they ran their course.

**"LILLY I DON'T CARE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT TELLING THEM! I WILL NOT SIT HERE AND LET THIS FALSEHOOD CONTINUE TO FESTER!"**

**_"NO! PLEASE! THEY WILL NEVER FORGIVE ME FOR LYING! LOGAN PLEASE!"_**

**"YES LILLY! IT'S GONNA HAPPEN! THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT SABER DID TO YOU! TO ALL OF YOU!"**

Lilly was terrified over what was happening. She couldn't believe why he would go out of his way to do this... he never did anything like this in the past, what changed in him so quickly for this to become the forefront of problems. Her crying was now in full swing, her wales and sobs echoed throughout the room as she lost any semblance of her remaining composure. He was right, what happened was horrible and she had suffered far too much for what it was all worth. After Saber died she should have told everyone, but they had no idea any of it happened anyway.

When Lilly started to speak telepathically again, her voice would oddly change pitch and distance, as well as random unexplained sounds. It sounded very much like cycling through a voice modifying program. Her train wreck of emotional strain was most definitely the cause of this.

**"I DIDNT des%& $ WHAT he DID! i HATED ...rything ABout HiM! Ever%^ne'S MIND'S, 3astED AWAY BY thE 4bUse OF ^SychiC C #$E... I #ent him AW$Y to #e MURd#R3d bY tH0Se HORRIBLE wiLd H0rdeS!"**

Her memories started to suddenly play through Logan's head, all the while her mind spoke incoherent confessions.

He suddenly knew what went down that fateful day... He could see her act of feigning severe sickness. The Look on Saber's face spelled out to Logan he constantly acted everything out, as he showed false worry. What terrified Logan was that he did look just like Saber, which didn't take long for his brain to pick up and burn into his already scared memories. He saw brief flashes of abuse... one showed her bloodied and battered, another showed her crying in a corner. But the one that messed with his very mind the most was the brief flash of her getting raped. He could hear her screaming bloody murder trying to get Saber to stop, and he could feel a horrible pain in his groin area, one which felt even more painful than the worst beatings from his own father. The memories then shifted to Saber leaving with the egg in his hands while Wildfire and Lucy walked beside him. Time then suddenly seemed moved forward to Lilly in her room.

Mixtures of guilt and relief. Swirls of vengeance and fulfillment. Concoctions of anger and happiness all swam through him like a tidal wave as he saw through the eyes of Lilly. The sun and moon went up and down many times outside the window, and he yet she barely ever moved.

She wasn't in anguish when he died... She was in recovery. She wasn't afraid of her lie getting revealed. She was still dealing with the fact that if She had went with them like her future sight told her, then Saber would still be alive. But she never wanted that, not one bit. She couldn't get over how evil she thought she was, how ugly her soul had become over what Saber did to her. She purposefully let Saber face a horrible and gruesome death, and as luck would have it she also ended up putting her own friends at risk of death as well.

Logan couldn't handle all the info, but he held strong. He now knew things he definitely would never forget. For once in his life, he genuinely felt horrible for someone, that someone being Lilly. She had gone through things that he could completely 100% relate to. But he also knew her fears were actually genuine...

She did have a chance to save him, and she had no other choice but to put Wildfire, Lucy, and her own egg in harms way in order to free herself from Saber's iron grasp. If she told them this, they're was a big chance that they would never look at her the same way again. They had no recollection of any of his treatment towards her, and so they would probably think she was lying...

Logan felt the sudden needful desire to end this chapter of her life. Only he had the skill sets needed to help her convince everyone of the real truth. He knew he could convince them, but what he couldn't do was guarantee Lilly's ability to move on from all this. She had been stuck with this burden for what he guessed was nearly a full year. Mental pressure like that never leaves you, it only goes dormant until triggered again.

The time was now, he had to make this horrible truth known. The only way to move forward was to break down the wall of suffering...

And he was going to be have to be the wrecking ball... one packed with a crap ton of C4, just to make sure that her suffering could never be fully rebuilt again.


	12. Life Changing Events

The inside of the room was very warm. Various computers and advanced machinery we're strewn about as teams of scientists all scrambled to get work done.

Dr. Steinbach was the head of these people, and though he failed to contain the last project he wouldn't let that get in the way of his plans. He was currently in what seemed like a meeting with other top members of staff.

_"My fellow __colleagues... It has come to my attention today that word has gotten out over my little meeting with Giovanni. While am deeply upset over this info getting out, I am a man of my word. Yes it is true what you have heard. But I can assure you that this new project is merely a solution to the years of work wasted after our previous subjects escape."_

A burly man with long dirty blonde hair immediately stood up. His hand smacking on the table as he focused his anger on the head Scientist in front of him.

"You should have known better than to ease the holding restrictions on subject B392! Not only do we have to clean up this huge mess, But also capture a Pokemon who can use his powers based on his FUCKING IMAGINATION! Without the brain wiping agents he could be quiet literally unstoppable in the wrong hands! What if some trainer finds him?!"

A women with red hair tied in a ponytail then spoke up. _"Relax Baxter he's not that big of a threat. Sure he may be able to summon anything he wants in the future, but that's nothing for us. Just send in the Bosses Mewtwo. He won't object to that request, and we all know the Clone's been spoiling for a fight. No biggie."_

Steinbach smiled at the women. She was always one to think with a level head, which was why she was a top member in the science wing.

_"Ms. Holland you never seize to give me the confidence boost I need in times like these. Do not forget everyone that like every pokemon B392's powers are based on energy levels. After a certain point he will start to feel fatigued, just like anyone who exerts to much on themselves."_

_"My fellow staff mates, Might I remind you that the only differences he has with a normal Gallade is how he uses his powers and his lack of high speed __maneuverability. He was made for wars, not battling. His speed is way below the recommended levels for competitive battling."_

A video then popped up on the wall behind Steinbach as he pulled out his laser pointer. Subject B392 then appeared, gun in hand and at the ready. He was running down hallways as team rocket grunts fired their weapons on him.

_"We managed to capture this on the security camera's that night. As you can clearly see, his running speed is clearly much slower than that of a typical healthy Gallade. We estimate that he can only run upwards of 60 Miles per hour, compared to the rather impressive 90 the average Gallades reaches. Capturing will be easy, finding him is what will be the hard part. But with Team Rocket's latest tracking technology I can assure you he will be brought back soon..."  
_

The other Scientists exchanged glances at one another before they all turned there heads back towards him.

_"Steinbach... We regret to inform that we have decided to remove you from the board. You have 2 months left to find the rogue subject. After that Giovanni has made it clear that you will no longer be with us. We've decided that you're expertise will be no longer needed after your objective is complete."_

The older scientist felt his stomach sink at the news. But yet he was silent, for he knew he had royally screwed up so there was nothing he could think of to try and convince them otherwise.

_"U-Understood..."_

_"We're truly sorry sir. We personally have nothing against you. But you're work has lately been failing to provide any meaningful results. We have moved your quarters to E Wing... We hope you get comfortable there._

Steinbach felt his very life and work slip away from him as he struggled to maintain his composure. Why him? Why was it he had the bad luck around here! Why was it he who had to bear the brunt of the scrutiny. There we're still others who helped him in the project. Why was it all being blamed on him? He was just doing his damn job!

He slowly walked towards the door that led to the mainfloor. He kept his head down as he opened it, only briefly taking the time to turn around and glance back at everyone. His eye's were filled with anger as he then slammed the door and walked along the catwalk. His life was basically ruined, and in serious jeopardy of being brutally ended by that stupid lilac mutant of a Pokemon.

No matter... soon he would have this Gallade brought back. After that, he would make sure everyone remembered why he was one of Dr. Fuji's closest colleagues. He would get his revenge, he would just have to bide his time.

* * *

_**"So lemme get this straight... She was forced to act like everythin' was fine, when in truth he actually treated 'er like property, only to then BRAINWASH us, so that we'd forget it all happened, and then fill our minds with utter nonsense?" **_Wildfire recollected.

The confession party had been going on for what felt like a few hours. Everyone at first didn't believe what Logan said one bit, but he knew that they would change there minds once Lilly did what she had done with him.

Once they were all exposed to the horrors that Lilly had went through, everything suddenly became much more tense. Logan noted the expressions on there faces when the memory link sequence had ended, with Nacho even grabbing his groin as if checking to see if he too was just violated. The expressions we're all the same... a pure, unbridled mixture of shock and horror.

**"Yeah... I know it's a lot to take in." **Logan responded.

Wildfire was silent for an uncomfortably long time. He, along with everyone else, still couldn't believe the things they had experienced. Lilly was out in the kitchen, sitting on the floor against the wall near the living room entrance.

Everyone was silent... they were all surprised Lilly would do such a thing. It was normal for her to take into consideration everyone's feelings, but this was probably the most extreme case any of them had seen. That, and they we're horrified over the hard facts of just who Saber really was.

_**"Lilly should have known better than to hide somethin' like that..."**_

**"She didn't want you guys to worry too much. That, and she was afraid Allison here would cancel her dreams of becoming a Champion... She's so loyal that she put her own mental well being second to Allison's wishes."**

Allison's eyes went wide at the realization. She knew that the Ralts line were basically number one when loyalty was concerned, but for Lilly to go above and beyond like that...

_"Well... She wasn't wrong."_

Lilly slowly got up from sitting. She took a deep breath, knowing full well what lay ahead of her. She slowly appeared out from behind the wall, carefully rounding the corner before slowly levitating over to Logan's side.

**"You doing okay?" **He asked lightly. Lilly just lowered her head, her expression full of sorrow over the whole ordeal. Wildfire could see how she felt. He slowly walked over before gently putting his hands on her shoulders and slightly kneeling down to eye level. His yellow eyes looked directly into her large ruby colored ones.

_**"Listen 'ere Lilly... I know that face anywhere. You don't have any right to feel sorry... We should be the ones apologizin' to you."**_

Lilly didn't respond... but was rather surprised at how quickly everyone had come to feel sorry for her.

_"Lilly... You know better than to think we'd be upset at you over all of this."_

**"I-I didn't tell you guys because of the threats he made... I-I wanted to tell you, but if I d-**

Logan put his finger on her lips. He knew the mindset she was in all to well. The repetitive nature of trauma meant she was stuck subconsciously thinking about how everyone would react, even if they had already shown their support. If they had shown their support now, who's to say they won't go back on it later? She had already withheld some VERY vital information from them. Chances were that down the line they would bring it back in another argument or conversation. All of this he had known for most of his life already.

Lilly was in need to some well deserved support, maybe some time spent with her would help.

**"Hey if you want Lilly, we could take a stroll down to the pond... maybe it'll help clear your mind?"**

Lilly didn't change her sorrowful expression, but she nodded at the idea. The pond was a calming place for her to go, especially since she liked being around nature. Logan remained silent, though at least he could indeed do something to make her feel better.

The room was once again silent... Everyone in the room was in a deep state of thought. It was going to take a while for them to process the confessions, and it probably would also mean some drama down the road.

But that wasn't Logan's concern right now. Not at all. No, his concern was getting Lilly away from the house to let everything settle down.

**"Come on... let's get you away for a while. Give everyone some time to process their thoughts..."**

He grabbed her by the shoulder before basically escorting her out of the house. They proceeded to enter the kitchen and then exited through the back door.

* * *

The walk was calming for the both of them, and the sun was just beginning to set. The sky glowed a pinkish orange tint as they both quietly walked over to the pond at the end of the trail. The occasional sounds of friendly wild Pokemon pierced the silence, but nothing dangerous was in the area from what the cries entailed.

The wilderness around them was beautiful, and Logan couldn't help but reminisce about the first time he walked through the wilderness. Despite the bullet wound he faced at the time and how lost he was mentally, these very forests had some kind of vibe to them that just kept him calm. He couldn't understand what it was, but then again he never really stopped to think about it anyway.

Was it because this was the very world he explored as a small child playing his handheld games? When did he gain such an appreciation for these forests? Ah screw it, he was thinking too much about it, just chill out and enjoy the scenery.

Logan could tell that Lilly was still upset, her drooped head and saddened eyes giving it away.

He couldn't blame her. He had first hand seen the loyalty she had for her master, and it kind of hurt to realize how much of an actual problem it was. He originally thought that this trait of loyalty was nothing but a good thing, but now...

Now he could see that it actually created challenges many would lose their sanity over. She had literally put her master's own wants over her own needs, and to Logan that was a sign of suffering...

the worst kind of suffering...

The kind that couldn't be completely conquered...

But she was a lucky as she had a Master whom he now realized was highly caring. Allison had outright stated that while Lilly wasn't wrong about canceling the plans of competing in the championship, she wouldn't be upset at her over it. Again, she was lucky... for all he knew there was probably trainers out there who would abandon their own Pokemon over shit like that, and that was the best case scenario for the abusive types.

But for now he felt like cheering her up would be a better foray. It was something better to do than thinking.

**"So uh... What a day huh? Everything's finally getting worked out."**

...

**"Hey, Cheer up... At least you're spending time with me. That's what you always wanted right? Some time with me? Right?"**

Lilly lowered her head a little further before hugging herself as she continued to walk.

**"Sorry..."** He quietly apologized.

...

Was this walk taking longer?

...

It definitely felt a lot longer than it should be taking.

...

The walk felt a lot longer than it should have, but they finally reached the pond.

The duo slowly approached it before Lilly walked further to the edge. Logan stayed back, letting her have her time to herself. She needed it after all the hell she went through. He rested his back against the abandoned barn shed, letting the wind of the evening turned dark blue night overtake him.

The night then started to brighten up as many tiny Pokemon started to make their presence known. Tiny firefly like Pokemon which Logan had never seen before started to aimlessly fly around as they awoke from their day time slumber. Logan looked around as they would fly near him without paying any mind to him and Lilly.

Lilly looked down at her reflection in the lake. Her mind was swimming with the thought's of her child. She had been bestowed a young, beautiful and healthy Ralts. But to her this child was the lasting legacy of Saber. The one's like him would have been slaughtered by their own blood for such acts in the wilderness, and yet she had found him. She always wondered why they found him in the state he was in... now she didn't want to know in the slightest.

But this young one was now her responsibility. She knew she could make him not be the kind of person his father was. She would just have to raise him with even more love and affection. At first she didn't want such a responsibility bestowed upon her after what Saber had done... but she wasn't thinking rationally at that moment. Now, with her mind cleared she more saw her offspring as something more. She just couldn't put her finger on it yet.

Logan looked over to her. She was now laying on the edge of the pond, looking up at the sky above. He lowered his head, closed his eyes and sighed before making his way over next to her and laying down beside her. He placed his hands behind his head, the long blades on his elbows sheathing naturally from his close proximity to Lilly

_**"I know what you're thinking Logan..."**_

Logan turned his heads toward Lilly, who was smiling at him.

**"Oh yeah? Tell me what you heard this time." **He casually shot back.

**_"You've been thinking about the child... Like me."_**

...

**"Yeah... yeah I have."**

_**"What do you see him as?"**_

**"You're asking me?"**

She nodded, her soft smile and pleading eyes were too hard resist anyway so it's not like he could outright deny her question.

**"How about this... You tell me what you think about him and then I'll tell you how I feel."**

Lilly looked at him before turning her attention back to the sky above. The stars we're now out, and they twinkled with what could be described as utmost perfection. The moonlight mixed with the glowing tiny firefly like Pokemon peacefully flying around created an absolutely perfect scene of serenity, so much so that Logan saw it as otherworldly.

_**"Master always told me that I would make an excellent mother, but with everything that has happened I don't think her words will hold much truth to them."**_

Logan thought over what she had said, replaying it in his head over and over again in hopes of decoding her words in a meaningful way. It then hit him what she might have been thinking at that moment.

**"Hey... You're kid may have been born through tragedy. But that doesn't mean it's all going to remain that way."**

Lilly turned her head again to face him. He wasn't making eye contact, just looking up at the stars above.

**"Think of your kid as the living ****embodiment of good vs evil. Give him the proper upbringing he deserves and everything will hopefully work out. Treat him poorly and it'll come to bite you in the ass when you least expect it."**

Lilly chuckled a little over his rather cold delivery. She could tell he was trying to give her advice. His heart was definitely in the right place, but his wording still needed some work. No matter, she understood what he was saying.

She used her powers to lift herself off the ground and hover over to him, all while still laying down. She then slowly lowered herself next to him. Logan watched as she rested up next to him, her head laying near his chest spike. She was holding him close, and to her it was as though all her worries washed away. He could tell she really enjoyed being close to him. The urge to try and get her off was immense, but he fought against it. The Gardevoir had already been through so much, helped him so much, dealt with his crap so much... too many much's for him to count. One night of her little cuddling addiction wouldn't kill him.

Logan suddenly shot up, his eye's glued to the nearby treeline. The appendages he had for ear's started to flare up. The forest had grown earily quiet, which was creeping Lilly out. There was something watching them from a distance. Logan became hyper vigilant, using all of his senses to try and pick up the faintest sign of danger.

That's when his face became pale...

**"Lilly, we gotta go."**

_**"What is it, do you sense som-**_

Logan quickly grabbed Lilly by the arm, clutching it tight.

**"You need to teleport us!"**

Lilly hesitated for a second before nodding. She began to glow brightly while also grabbing Logan's hand. The glowing became brighter as they th-

All of a sudden Lilly felt something smash into her, throwing her off balance and knocking her down. She was dizzy, having absolutely know idea what was going on. She snapped out of it upon hearing Logan scream out in anger, yelling profanity and insults as the familiar sound of fighting filled her hearing.

They were being attacked!

Lilly's irises shrunk upon seeing three Mightyena attacking Logan. She then turned around to notice four more coming up from behind her. She realized that now was a now or never situation, and that they would almost certainly be slaughtered if she didn't start fighting.

Logan threw one of the rabid wolfs off of him before turning his attention to Lilly, who started using her psychic powers to deal with the threats. They we're both starting to get overwhelmed. Various Mightyena and Poochyena starting coming out of the woods, bearing their teeth and howling as they surrounded the two. Lilly suddenly felt something bite down on her leg, letting out a cry of pain before using her powers to lift the leg biting mightyena up before throwing him into the lake.

Logan heard her cry of pain, which immediately triggered his anger to take hold. His rage aura started to form as he began to fight more ferociously, emitting small growls with every impact he could make on anything that looked remotely canine. He dodged a mightyena that tried to jump up from behind him before punching it in in the gut, earning a yelp from his attacker as it fell to the ground and ran back.

Lilly started to more frantically fight as well, but her concentration was proving hard to control as she would try to lift up entire groups of them, only for them to suddenly drop. She wanted to start levitating, but it was impossible with how intense the large pack Mightyena were attacking her. Right as she was getting ready to attack, she felt something latch on to her back and push her to the ground. She started to scream out loud, her attacker having pinned her down with no chance of her being able to attack.

Time seemed to slow down for Logan. He had heard Lilly's blood curdling cry of desperation. He suddenly saw images flash before his eyes. Images of himself through the eye's of Lilly, who's life was flashing before both of there very eyes. Then he saw his own life, the various instantaneous images of his time in both his world and this world changing before him.

He felt every emotion gong through himself and Lilly. His regret mixed with her fear, while her sadness mixed with his anger. They we're both about to die, and in doing so would never live to see a better day.

Logan then felt an unfamiliar feeling rush through him. It was like something had seemingly awakened from within him, breaking out from deep within him and making it's way through every inch of his body. The shard on his chest started to glow that bright blue color, which also happened to the one on his back. His Irises started to change color, the red color now mixing with a blue inner hue before fully turning cyan. His eye's then started to also glow as he tensed up.

Lilly was panicking, her life having flashed before her eyes. The mightyena that was on top of her was about to bite down on her neck. She could feel the saliva from his gaping maw dripping onto her shoulder and neck as she braced for her imminent and painful death.

But before she could even think her final thought. She felt the wolf Pokemon on her back suddenly and without warning get launched of her back. Her eye's were clenched shut, but upon feeling the yank of the wolf being violently thrown off her she quickly opened them. She saw a bright blue light out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned to look over at it she froze.

Logan's eyes and chest we're glowing that bright blue color, similar to that night in the cave. There was something in his hands which was highly transparent, but with a noticeable blue outline. It looked like he was using a form of _Barrier, _but it wasn't even in the shape of anything protective. Tiny pebbles could be seen from within the... whatever it was he was holding.

Wait... did he just summon his powers!

But before she could think over what she was seeing, She heard more howls as another group of Mightyena, now joined by smaller Poochyena, joined the fray. She quickly levitated off the ground to provide some protection for herself as she tried to regain herself. But as soon as she got up several feet in the air she was treated to a grizzly yet mystical sight.

As soon as the various wolf Like Pokemon converged on Logan, the pebbles from the strange thing Logan had summoned disappeared from within it, only for a 4 wolfs to instantly drop to the ground, blood pouring out from various little wounds that had seemingly been caused by this unknown attack.

The remaining group of mightyena then ran into the woods, the attack having scared them as they just saw four of their kind die instantly to what was seemingly nothing. The area was quickly cleared as various wines and howls pierced the night, the large pack of Mightyena and Poochyena running deep into the forest in hopes of running away.

...

...

As the situation finally went quiet and everything settled down. She started to take in the fact that she owed Logan her own life. He had just saved her from an untimely death, and she couldn't be ever more grateful.

...

...

She looked over at him as he looked down at whatever was in his hands. She could still feel the pain from her leg as well as her own back. But she wasn't worried, nothing a few heal pulses couldn't fix. She was in awe at the sight before her... She couldn't believe it.

Logan... in a state of danger, had finally and successfully managed to gain his full magical powers!

But wait... what?

Why wasn't he excited over the life defining moment. He had been aching over wanting them for so long, and yet now he looked horrified over what lay in his hands. The item them seemingly disappeared, the outlines vanishing while the pebbles dropped to the ground. He then looked over to the various corpses of mightyena he had just killed, their blood draining from their bodies and soaking the ground before mixing with the pond nearby, giving it a red tint. He started to tremble before his eye's started to water up, his eye's shrinking at the realization of just what kind of thing he summoned.

**"No... No that's not me. God Dammit NO THAT'S NOT ME!"**

Lilly felt a wall of dread come over her, causing her own Irises to shrink again in reaction. She quickly moved over to calm Logan down, but it only seemed to be getting worse.

**"NO NO NO NO! IT CAN'T BE THAT WAY!**

_**"Logan calm down!"**_

**"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS DO YOU!"**

The blue glow from before had all but disappeared, his eye's bloodshot with emotion as he fell to his knee's and broke down. Lilly also got on her knee's to comfort him, not clear on why he was reacting to differently from what she had originally envisioned. He continued to sob, his tears now glowing a slightly blue hue as they fell to the ground.

**"T-They were *hic* g-going to kill you... I-I f-felt something... I wanted to end it... k-kill them for a-attacking you. B-But it all happened so quickly... just... boom... dead... I'm a god damn monster!"**

_**"NoNoNoNoNo don't think like that! You're not a monster Logan!"**_

But her telekinetic thought's fell on a mind in shambles as he continued to sob and break down. She firmly but gently grabbed him by the sides of his head and turned him towards her. _**"Listen to me Logan! You, are not a monster! You did what you had to do! You saved our lives!"**_

**"That *Sniffle* wasn't normal... that move... it's not normal... *Sniffle*... I don't even *hic* know how I did it..."**

_"WE'RE COMING YOU TOO!" _Allison screamed out. She was being followed by the rest of the group, and they we're all scrambling to get to the duo.

_**"What in Lord Arceus' name happened 'ere!"**_

**"Yeah! We heard battling from all the way back at the house and- WOOOOOOAAAAHH..."**

Lucy was the first to notice the four mightyena corpses that lay near the pond, the various little wounds dotting their bodies grabbing her attention even more so.

**"How did these happen?!" **The blue jackal questioned.

No answer... but the way Lilly was holding Logan was cause for more questions. The wounds looked deep despite their small size, which made her raise one of her eyebrows in confusion. How was something like this even possible.

Nacho looked around at the situation before the dots in his head started to connect.

The eye's on Logan...

His sudden and seemingly spontaneous fear...

The way Lilly was holding him...

He had to have been the one who caused all of this. The dead Mightyena's and the way Lilly was cut up while still comforting him also gave him the idea that it was an act of defense. But Lilly never caused wounds like that, she had too much self control for that kind of violence...

But Logan on the other hand...

_**"Logan..."**_

The Gallade looked up at the musclebound Pokemon with tear's still in his eyes.

_**"How did you do all of this?"**_

Everyone turned their attention to the duo, more precisely on Logan. Lilly was about to speak up when she was silenced by him... He needed to let them know that he was too dangerous to ever let fight. If he never had to fight then he never had to worry about being dangerous. He slowly got up and stood there for a few moments. He still had an idea how to summon his powers, as if after the first success it was bound to his muscle memory.

**"I-If I show you this... promise me you'll never make me battle EVER again."**

Everyone was silent... they had know idea why he would make them promise something like that. But now wasn't the time to ask questions, they needed to see what he did.

**"How 'bout this Hard head... You show us first and we'll go from there. We just wanna see why you're so distraught over all of this."**

Logan closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. His chest then started glowing a bright blue as he held out his hands. Something was forming in his hands, and everyone was in complete and utter shock and awe over what they were seeing. At first he was struggling to make it take shape. He started to panic as he knew he wasn't going crazy. He remembered the events from before, trying to recollect what it looked like. It was at this point when the light in his hands started to finally take shape. The light then grew even brighter, causing everyone to cover there eye's in hopes of protecting themselves from the blinding light.

When the light subsided they all uncovered their eyes, and what they saw was enough exactly what Lilly had said... not normal.

There in Logan's hands lay what Allison recognized was the outline of what appeared to be a short double barrel shotgun. It seemed to be made of the same stuff that the move _barrier _was composed of, which was hard light. It was only noticeable via the outlines, which besides that it was basically mostly invisible to the naked eye.

At first she was in disbelief, but then pellets from around the area started floating up. Before she could fully register the pebbles in her vision they then all flew and fazed into place inside the weapon. It was here when she realized he was actually not far off from what he had told them.

_"Lord Arceus... this is insane." _She said to herself.

* * *

**Well that chapter took a bit more time than expected out of my many days. But it was worth it. Anyhow I'll be taking a small break so that I can go back and fix many grammatical errors in previous chapters.**

**Anyhow I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter... **

**Also the Young Ralts will be named. You'll just have to wait until next chapter. Have a Good day!**


	13. The Night That birthed a Legend

**Sorry about the late upload, I'm at a friends house right now and my internet won't be turned on until the Covid-19 outbreak tones down enough... Also, life problems have been hampering my ability work on the fanfic.**

**The only reason I'm uploading and putting effort into this is the way I am us ****because**** this is more of a passion project then anything else... So at least you all can be sure I won't stop uploading chapters till the story is done. I enjoy what I'm writing and am confident in the story as a whole.**

**As usual, positive and/or critical but polite reviews help this story become better, and give me even more ****incentive to finish it. Not to mention it they always make my day better.**

**Anyhow Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Allison looked on in fascination at what lay in Logan's hands. She just couldn't fully wrap her head around what lay before her eyes.

Not that anyone could blame her... I mean come on, a Pokemon who could summon a gun? That was completely unheard of, let alone thought of until now.

_"I need to recollect my thoughts..."_ Allison stated to the group. Her crunchy footsteps over the dirt path were then heard as she started to walk back to the house. Everyone else except Wildfire followed her.

Lilly turned around to follow, but something was telling her to stay...

**"Are you two well? Do you need me to stay?"**

No answer... just silence as Logan eerily stared down at his weapon.

She sighed and shook her head, her eyelids lowering in even more concern than before. A bright light formed around her before she then vanished, having teleported away from the two.

So there Logan was, holding a semi invisible gun in his hands with Wildfire still looking at him. The silence was very uneasy... scratch that, it was highly intolerable. Yeah that fit the situation more, highly intolerable. It didn't help that Wildfire didn't look worried.

Oh well, at least there was a good chance he'd be set free early right? He'd be able to be on his own right? Right?

...

Right?

...

Why was he smiling? What in the fuck could be making the tall fire type smile at a time like this?!"

_**"Welp... It's time!"**_ Wildfire happily exclaimed. Logan really hoped that meant something good, something that didn't involve using his newfound powers. Something that inv-

*WOOOSH!*

Wildfire's arms and legs suddenly shot up in flames, his eye's glowing orange as he then assumed a fighting stance. Logan looked on with unease, aware but not happy to where this was heading.

_**"I want ya to fight me Logan... Come on, prove to me you can wield them powers gifted to ya!"**_

And just to think this all happened because he wanted Lilly to feel better...

**"Wildfire look, I'm not gonna fight right n-**

Logan was quickly interrupted by the Blaziken suddenly jumping forward, his right taloned hand forming into a punch as he shot forward. Logan panicked and jumped out of the way, crash landing onto his stomach and letting out and a sickly grunt upon inpact with the dirt.

_**"Come on! Show me you can use them powers of yours!"**_ Wildfire taunted. Logan started to get annoyed with this raw display of fighting spirit.

**"Yo! I'm not fighting right now! Chill th-**

Wildfire landed a kick onto Logan's abdomen, sending the Fighting/Psychic type into the air and into some nearby trees. Logan hit one of the larger tree's backfirst, crashing into the wooden trunk before then landing on the ground. He moaned in pain for a split second before getting back up. His irises started glowing a faint blue as he assumed his own fighting stance, raising his fists and assuming a boxing stance, despite not having learned boxing.

_**"Atta Boy! Now show me what you can do!"**_ Wildfire enthusiastically called out, a smile forming on his beak.

**"You move first..."**

_**"Suit yourself!"**_

Wildfire ran forwards, closing the distance between himself and the Gallade in front of him. His fist engulfed itself in more fire before balling itself into a fist.

Logan also ran forward, Wildfire smirked as he got close enough to land his punch, but before he could connect the hit, Logan turned a hard left, juking the Fire type into missing his punch. He then followed this up by steering himself into Wildfire and landing a close line, bringing them both down in the process.

This didn't surprise the tall Avian one bit, but it did confirm one of his fears... the boy was willing to hold himself back from his true potential. Afraid to use the telepathic weapon over something he didn't fully understand.

But before he could think any further he instinctively shot back up. Logan was about to get back on his feet, but Wildfire was faster. The Flaming Fighter landed a quick but powerful jab into Logan's left arm, causing the boy turned Pokemon to stumble one again. As he landed back on the ground he looked back up at Wildfire, shocked at the bigger Pokemon's actions.

**"Dude stop! I'm done!"** Logan asserted, forfeiting the fight he never wanted to be a part of.

Wildfire stood there for a while, his eye's staring directly into Logan.

**"You win okay? I don't want to kill you too!"**

Wildfire let out a deep sigh. An explanation was definitely in order.

_**"Listen here... Your powers won't kill unless ya want 'em too, as with everyone else. Ya shouldn't look at 'em as a means of slaughter, but as a path to becomin' stronger!"**_

Logan gave the fire type a look of intrigue.

_**"To put it simply, you killed those Mightyena 'cus ya powers sensed the need to defend yourself and Lilly... But in organized battles? Well, no need for such actions, the code of battle handles that for ya. "**_

Logan paused to think before getting back up. He then dusted himself off. **"Yeah, Well I think that's impossible. What if someone loses his shit and decides to let it out their anger during battle huh? Then what?"**

_**"Then ya fight back with the same ferocity... if they try to kill ya then it's a different matter. But that's one of the big reason's why the humans carry them balls around their belts."**_

**"I already told you I'm not helping you guys in the championship!"**

**_"I'm not teaching ya for the championship... I'm helpin' ya learn so that you can have the common skill of defendin' yourself without needless bloodshed."_**

**"Why else would all of you be so obsessed with me having these so called "common skills" then?"**

_**"Well Ain't it obvious?"**_ The Blaziken questioned, his tone gentle.

Logan narrowed his eyes, hoping to make Wildfire aware that the the word "obvious" didn't really fit the description. Wildfire got the message as his smile began to fade, now replaced with one of somber concern.

_**"Oh come one, surely ya know the answer right? Ya gotta be yankin' my leg."**_

**"Answer the question..."**

There was a long and foreboding silence before Wildfire finally answered.

_**"Because we care about ya."**_

...

Something within Logan seemed to click with that answer... damn it, why must they be like this. He didn't deserve their kindness after all, especially with everything he had d-

His thinking was interrupted by the feeling of two large hands resting on his shoulders. Wildfire had squatted down to Logan's height and was now looking him directly in the eyes.

_**"Listen to me kid... I get it. You didn't start off with the greatest of intro's, and it seems to be haunting ya a lot. Anyone would be disturbed by those kind of past actions."**_

He had gotten Logan attention, his gentle yet firm tone getting to Logan in a way that entranced him.

_**"Don't let those things get to ya kid. We know you weren't in your right mind, and all of us understand. Me, Lilly, Snowfield, Nacho, Lucy, Ally, we all understand kid."**_

Logan lowered his head, the words he was hearing beginning to settle within his mind.

_**"Now that ya know as to why I'm doing this... ya think we can have another go at trainin'?"**_

Wildfire stood up and held his hand out, offering his hand to Logan in a sign of good intent. Logan held his hand out, but then hesitated. Did he really want to continue this "training" Wildfire offered him? I mean, he did say that his new powers couldn't kill unless he wanted them too... but then again, he himself blacks out too much for that to be a sound solution, and when he blacks out it usually ends up with someone getting hurt.

So what's to stop him from blacking out and killing someone... He was a human in mind and soul after all, and humans never had magic powers they had to keep under control. The amount of self control required would be on a level no human has had to work towards. Overall, it was a risky endeavor for sure.

But then again... magic powers like his meant he had an edge in almost any scenario regarding fights. Pokemon couldn't use guns like he could, and other people might be too afraid to even approach him if they saw what he could do... Also, those assholes from Team Rocket we're definately looking for him, he needed to be alert if he wanted to keep them at bay.

...

Decisions, decisions, so many decisions. Which one should he choose.

"Alright, you got me... I'll keep fighting." The Gallade decided, figuring that this would bring more good than bad if he went with the flow on this one. He took Wildfires hand, and was pulled back onto his feet with almost no physical effort shown on the Blaziken's behalf. Damn, was he really that strong?

_**"Alrighty then! Thanks for not giving up. Really, it means a lot to me... to all of us."**_

**"Just keep quiet and let's get this over with... I didn't say we had all night."**

**_"Fair enough._**" Wildfire shrugged, his smile still present.

The two of them proceeded to walk in opposite directions, taking up positions about the 30 feet away from one another. The stage was set, and the first true battle was about to commence. The two were ready, and things were about to become very hectic. The warm summer night's breeze was audible as quiet sounds of tree's swaying in the wind filled the hearing of both Pokemon. Wildfire stood firmly in place, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Logan kept himself on high alert, knowing full well that it would be smarter for the stronger adversary to make the first move.

...

A few leaves we're dropping from some tree's in the background, flowing past the two as they stared at each other.

...

Suddenly, Fire rang out from Wildfire's arms and legs. He then jumped high up in the air, like a rocket shooting into the sky. The fire than surrounded him only seemed to grow hotter as he maintained his momentum in the air for quite a while. Logan summoned his psychic shotgun before then jumping out of the way, just barely missing Wildfire's hard smash into the ground, which kicked up dust and dirt everywhere. Wildfire caught sight of the weapon, which was now giving off a slight glow in it's outline.

_**"YEAH! Show me what you're made of!" **_Wildfire roared out in enthusiasm.

Pebbles from around the area started to levitate before then flying over to Logan, settling into both semi invisible chambers of the shotgun. Logan then aimed his weapon, trying to zero in on Wildfire, who was moving and jumping erratically to try and force Logan to miss. He was quickly closing distance, and Logan was quickly losing time.

But Logan wasn't going to fire just yet, he had another idea in mind.

Wildfire quickly appeared before him, and landed a mean flame punch square in Logan's cheek, sending him twirling in the air and crashing into the ground. But Logan was always a tough one, as while he was momentarily dazed, he still managed to make a recovery quick enough to dodge the next attack, which would have been a kick into his gut. He still didn't know how he could react so quick like that, but he wasn't complaining as his little trick worked.

Right as the Gallade dodged the attack, he positioned the Shotgun right up against the Blaziken's stomach, and pulled the trigger. Wildfire let out a loud shriek in pain as he was sent flying backwards by the impact of the pebbles hitting him in the stomach. As he hit the ground he then groped his stomach and growled with his physical voice, which came out as a rather angry sounding "Blaaaaaaz, IKEN!"

Logan stood in shock at what he had just performed, his mind in complete awe over his own spectacle. But Logan wasn't going to stand around, he knew from his childhood years of watching the anime that Pokemon like Wildfire usually take a few more powerful blows before going down.

Wildfire's legs curled up, only for him to jump back on his feet with an impressive display of recovery. _**"Alright kid... Look's like it's time to go full force on ya!" **_He declared with serious intent.

Logan didn't respond, only choosing to nod. It was then that a huge realization suddenly hit him.

Double barrel shotgun... Super athletic abilities... big flaming boy... he had seen this many times before. A light bulb then went of inside his head, something which currently was extremely rare in his case.

**"I hope he can't keep up..." **He thought to himself.

It was at this point that Logan had drew up his battle style at that moment in time...

He had to fight aggressively, and stay on the move.

Wildfire began to execute a furious sweep of attacks, starting with a mad dash towards Logan to get up close and personal. But the boy turned Pokemon was already on the move, running as fast as his powerful legs could carry him. His shotgun was pointed at Wildfire, and he was ready to fire again. But before he could think any further, he was interrupted by a powerful uppercut to the side of his abdomen. The wind was knocked out of him, causing him to start gasping for oxygen for a moment. Wildfire had once again leaped into the air, getting ready to ground pound Logan in the chest with another flame punch.

Logan regained his breath just in time to point the shotgun up in the air and once again pull the trigger. The range which Wildfire was at meant that only some of the pebbles hit, but it was enough to disrupt the fire/fighting type's attack, causing him to smash onto the ground about three or so feet away from Logan. Logan quickly got on his knees before standing back up and making a mad dash away from Wildfire. He took this opening to let the pebbles in the area settle into his weapon, which usually took a couple seconds to finish.

This was it, it was time to kick his battle plan into high gear.

Wildfire didn't jump back onto his feet this time, instead opting to quickly get on his knees and then stand back up. This was a sign to Logan that he was putting the battle hardened Avian through his paces, a good sign that also gave him a bit of self optimism.

Maybe he could indeed make something out of this power he held...

_**"I knew you had it in ya kid! But now I'm done goin' easy! Time for the real fight!"**_

Wildfire ignored the ache's and pains that racked his body. Enough was enough, he wasn't fighting an uncoordinated anger bound kid anymore, he was in an actual battle with a worthy, yet still novice opponent.

This was Logan's moment. It was either he gave it everything he got, or he'd fail and end up a knocked out shot.

Wildfire rushed forward, dashing as quick as his feet could carry him. Logan on the other hand stood in the middle of there makeshift battleground, and that's when he made a bold risk. He raised his hand up and taunted the Starter by waving it towards his himself.

**"Come on! Is that all you got! WEAK!"**

He could hear Wildfire growl, having taken the bait in blindly fueled competitiveness. As he got ready to land a heavily charged Flame punch, Logan ran towards him and then slid across the ground, grabbing Wildfires leg and pulling it with him, immediately sending the Avian beak first into the dirt. He then made his move.

Logan quickly got back up and started running circles around Wildfire, sprinting with all his might. Wildfire groaned in pain as he tried to get back up. However as he got on his two feet he turned, only to have a blast of pebbles shot at him point blank, which was immediately followed up by another shot. Logan would fire one chamber's worth of pebbles and then while it was reloading he would fire another shot, thereby creating a constant barrage of less powerful half-shots, though each shot would still hurt like hell from what Wildfire was showing.

Wildfire was now trapped in an endless attack as Logan ran counter clockwise around him, His upper body turned slightly to the left while his shotgun was held at the hip, unleashing endless flurries of small stones towards the starter, who would react with some twitches, various flinches, and many grunts of pain. Wildfire was starting to bend down in submission, but Logan figured he shouldn't stop until Wildfire was truly down and out. It didn't help that the flaming fighter wasn't admitting true defeat, forcing Logan to continue his assault.

Wildfire was on one knee, the pain beginning to overwhelm him. Then he got on both knee's as another salvo hit his back, and then his chest. Then he got on all fours as shot after shot continued to hit him. He then collapsed on the ground as Logan continued to fire more shots.

But just then, Logan started to feel very sluggish, and his shotgun quickly evaporated into nothing, the pebbles also dropping to the ground. His limbs ached, and his mind became hazy. He felt extremely worn out, as if he had completed some kind of 20 mile run while hustling at full sprint.

Logan slowly walked over to the nearby pond, the four Mightyena corpses still laying nearby, their blood had stopped leaking out of there bodies, and the pond was completely soaked with their crimson fluids. He needed to take a break, especially after what had happened tonight.

How he managed to do everything he did tonight was probably to remain a mystery for a long time to come. But hey, he did it... he got his powers. Well, one of them anyway. He still needed three more attacks before he could meaningfully defend himself. Sure his one attack could do some damage. But against Ghost, Rock, and Steel types?

HA! Forget about it...

Logan was staring down at his reflection in the pod. The deep red tint of his reflection triggered his brain in a way that started thinking making him dark thoughts. His disability getting the best of him as his mind overflowed with depressing images.

He then turned to look at the 4 dead corpses, the idea of them being very different bodies if he didn't keep himself in check haunting his mind like no other dark thought ever could.

He then turned to look at Wildfire, who was knocked out on the ground but still breathing. It was as if he was sle-

Wildfire began to snore loudly, which was a clear indicator of what Logan had done... Holy shit, he knocked Wildfire out cold. If this was like the show he'd probably have those swirls for eyes.

Logan got up from his short rest on the rock. Stretching himself out before turning around and wal-

_**"We're very proud of you."**_

Logan jumped up at Lilly's sudden appearance as he turned around, almost falling into the blood soaked pond. Lilly however used her powers to catch him and push him back into balance.

**"Damn it Lilly! That's the second time you've done that!"**

Lilly chuckled, having not meant to scare him but finding his reaction humerus none the less. She then pulled him in for a tight hug, causing him to raise his arms in confusion over the sudden show of affection.

_**"I'm very impressed with your display..."**_

Logan caught a glimpse of various silhouettes hiding behind various tree's and bushes. Wait, was everyone watching this whole time?

_**"That... Was... WICKED!" **_Lucy exclaimed in awe, jumping out from behind the bushes. Nacho popped his head out from behind another nearby tree before running out of from behind his cover.

_**"Ain't that an understatement, Smooth moves champ! Ya really gave him the old one two with that fight!"**_

Logan was stumped on how to react to all this praise... he never got something like this before. He just looked at them as if he was utterly clueless on what he had did, despite the contrary.

**"Arceus bless me, Cheer's for that one there!" **Snowfield called out, his wing pointing at Logan as if he was pointing a finger. Next to him we're Three other bird Pokemon, both of who'm we're cheering and whistling.

**"Oh by the legends, did you really have to bring them here bird-brain!" **Lilly angrily cried out, her hands on her hips as she complained over the three unexpected visitors.

**"OI! That's no way to treat my fellow flyers! **He declared back at her.

He then turned to face the other bird Pokemon and gestured his head towards Logan while facing them, telling them what would happen next as if he was the ring leader.

**"Come on mates this is the mon' I've been ****squawkin'**** 'bout." **He casually stated to them.

They all flew down and birched on a lower branch, letting Logan get a better look at them.

**"OI! Logan! This are the mates I've been talkin' 'bout!"**

The Breviary next to him snickered _**"Oh yeah Snow, 'cus we know ya like dem boys uh." **_His accent sounded distinctively more Italian than Nacho's.

_**"Oh Shut it Barden! Not that kinda Mate, ya bloody hatchling!" **_Snowfield angrily retorted, much to the Avian groups laughter.

**"Don't listen to that idiot he's just loose in the skull! Anyway that jolly fellow right there is Barden."**

_**"How ya doin'..."** _The Braviary saluted while greeting.

Snowfield then pointed to the Swellow next to Barden. **"That's Chumpster... the brains of the group."**

**"NiCe To mEet yOu mAM!" **Chumpster greeted, though from his rather derpy voice he didn't really fit the "Brains" description.

**"Don't mind 'em he's still recoverin' from that lit'ol Brain injury from our last prank... And that's Malkrene!" **Snowfield then pointed to a Pidgeot, who remained completely stiff like a statue, only letting out a grunt in acknowledgement.

**"He's the muscle... though no one's got much why he ain't talkin'..."**

Logan couldn't help but smile at this seemingly Ragtag group of buddies... it kind of made him chuckle how varied their personalities were as well.

**"Nice to meet you guys."**

The trio of other birds had smiles formed on there beaks. FINALLY! Someone else beside Snowfield who was chill with them!

**"So tell me, how long have you guys known each other?" **Logan asked.

_**"Oh? A Question Asker eh? Can't really say, but Snow's been my pal since, I don't even know, a lifetime to be frank."**_

_**"oH yES! mE tOO!"**_

Malkrene let out an upbeat grunt...

**"Damn, you guys seem close knit."**

Lilly looked annoyed with the how quickly seemed to hit it off with those jerks... But hey, maybe she was just acting over dramatic. So what if Logan makes friends with them, all it meant was more happiness on his end, and all she cared about at the moment was that he was happy.

**"So wait, You all watched me fight Wild?"**

_**"Ya best believe it Two-shot! Ain't no one eva' tustled with the like's of big Flame without losin'!"**_

_**"Yeah Hard Head, You got something special. You sure you don't wanna fight in the Champ-**_

**"Still no Lucy..."**

_**"Darn, yet another chance blown!"**_Snowfield scoffed.

**_"nO cHaMPIOnsHIp! tHAt's aWfUL!"_ **Chumpster cried out, his left iris moving out of place and to the left more, giving him a truly "special" expression.

_**"Uh... yeah... what savant said. How come's ya ain't joinin' that Tourney L?"**_

**"Because there's no incentive for me. That, and I'm not really okay with being held here against my will by some women who wants a title that means nothing to me."**

Everyone remained silent over his words... despite EVERYTHING he had accomplished too.

_**"Wait a sec 'ere... Oh I think I get it now. Oh yeah I see what's goin on hea! I know what's makin' ya tick!"**_

Logan went from enthusiastic to very annoyed at Barden's commentary...

_**"Yeah, So I take it ya don't want the dough involved uh?"**_

Dough? What in the h-

Wait... does me mean money?

_**"SEE! Wha'd I tell ya people! He's got that twinkle in 'is eyes! Ya see big shot, they pay the traina's a nice hard profit for there hard work! Whad'ya think they's gonna do? Just sign up every traina' and make bank off tha' backs?! Ya outta ya mind!"**_

**"How much money are we talking here?"**

...

Never in a million years did everyone's hearts skip a beat in both anticipation and confusion. Why in Giratina's Distortion Realm did a Pokemon show such an interest human currency?

_**"Ahaah... Now i's got ya attention. Though why da interest anyhow?"**_

**"Once I'm gone from here I need somewhere to go... and frankly, living like a wild Pokemon in the forest isn't exactly my kind of lavish lifestyle."**

**_"Well no offense hot shot, But a pokemon ownin' property ain't exactly legal... Ya need ya traina' just to stand a chance in dis society. Tough stuff ah know but it is what it is."_**

**"Damn... well then maybe wondering the forests is all I got left."**

_**"Maybe so... But get dis, you ain't nothin' without dese kind souls around ya! What ya gonna do if poo hit's da fan eh? Ya leave 'em behind, ya leave behind a life most humans wish dey had!"**_

**"A life faced with captivity until a promise is fulfilled?"**

_**"Ya don't get it, do ya? You act like a human but I know from experience that what yo got 'ere is a future free of abuse and fulla love and happiness! Ya hate ta here it I can tell... but what ya got 'ere is something rich folk can't get even if dey try!"**_

**"Oh yeah? Would the fuck could that be?"**

_**"If it ain't evident to ya then it prolly ain't woith tellin ya... But let'see if I can make things clear for ya. Ya got it all, A mate who guy's of ya type would fight endlessly just ta have a chance ta get. A traina' who's more of a mentor than any other wise guy and gal around 'ere. Darn it ya even got a bright future in da most popular sport in da whole globe. Yet 'ere you are makin' a fool of yaself by doin' it all for da cash!"**_

**"JUST TELL ME THE FUCKING AMOUNT!"**

Silence was all that filled the air... Barden couldn't believe that someone with such amazing potential would throw it all away over something so frivolous.

_**"2.5 million P's... wired to a traina's ****license**** card. And before ya ask, I know all this cus' my traina' was once the champion... he made a few too many screw ups. Trust me hot shot... ya livin' da dream and ya don't even know it..."**_

The Bird's all looked to each other before then flying away. Chumpster took a second to realize what was going on before panicking and hastily flying away, leaving Logan alone with the rest of the group. He was stunned at the Braviary's deep understanding of the things he knew. He also was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he was basically read like a fiddle by this bird he just met.

...

Maybe it really was time he reevaluate what he considered more important... They did treat him like one of there own. He'd have to think hard about this. He'd probably have to sleep on it too, anything at this point to help clear up some clutter within his mind.


	14. (I'm Back!)

I'm very sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait. I had some seriously important life matters to attend to. Also I'm infected with Covid-19. Yup, it's been over 3 days and i'm stuck in my room of the house. Don't be to worried though, I'm confident i'll make it through.

Anyhow things have not been easy for me this year so far. I'm going to take a couple days to reorient myself with my story before I continue writing the next chapter. That way I won't write something i'll regret later.

Thank you to those who stuck around for a while! Seriously I was genuinely surprised to see the story ratings go up even further instead of decrease. Anyhow I wish all of you a wonderful week.


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